Updated at 10.45am with Grech's comment

Prime Minister Robert Abela condemned the “barbarous attacks” on Gaza on Tuesday, which left a death toll of more than 300 people, mainly women, children and the elderly.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter Abela wrote: 

“On behalf of the Maltese government, I strongly condemn these barbarous attacks. I cannot emphasise enough Malta’s plight for peace, in Gaza, Ukraine and beyond.”

Opposition leader Bernard Grech stressed that now, more than ever, restraint and dialogue must prevail.

"PNmalta stands for peace and a path towards lasting stability," he wrote on X.

Overnight, Israel unleashed its most intense strikes on the Gaza Strip since a January ceasefire, and Hamas accused Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to “resume war” after a deadlock on extending the truce. 

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll from Israel's most intense strikes on the territory since the start of a truce had risen to "at least 330".

"The health ministry has recorded more than 330 deaths, most of them Palestinian women and children, and hundreds of wounded, dozens of them in critical condition," the head of the ministry, Mohammed Zaqut, told AFP.

'Recognise the State of Palestine now': Momentum 

Following the attacks, the newly founded party Momentum called for Malta to immediately recognise the state of Palestine.

Last year, Malta, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia said they were willing to recognise Palestine as a state after the leaders of the four countries met at the margins of the European Council. 

In May last year, a foreign affairs ministry spokesperson told Times of Malta how Malta was waiting for the "optimal timeframe" to recognise the state of Palestine. 

Last month, Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba and the party's president Alex Sciberras added pressure on the government and called for Malta to recognise the state of Palestine.

"Yesterday, surprise Israel strikes killed 330 people in Gaza, mainly women, children and the elderly," Momentum chairperson Arnold Cassola said.

"This is horrendous and this inhuman carnage cannot go on."

He said the EU must take up vigorous diplomatic initiatives and all Israeli and Palestinian hostages, held by the respective sides, should be released. 

"We cannot all just look on while Netanyahu continues on his mission of ethnic cleansing and Trump on his forced displacement proposal in Gaza", concluded Cassola.