Gaza: Israel launched an extensive wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, March 18, 2025, targeting Hamas positions in what has been described as the heaviest assault since the ceasefire began in January. The strikes, which hit various locations including neighborhoods in Gaza City like Zeitoun and areas such as the Shati refugee camp where a prison was flattened, have resulted in the deaths of more than 320 people according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The operation, characterized by its open-ended nature, comes amid reports of evacuations being ordered in eastern Gaza and hints at potential renewed ground operations.
The attack was initiated by the Israeli military after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited a lack of progress in extending the ceasefire. In this context, Netanyahu claimed that the military action was necessary, while the White House confirmed it had been consulted and voiced its support for Israel’s actions. Alongside official Israeli statements, the report draws on information from multiple sources including local hospital records, statements from Gaza’s Health Ministry, and commentary by international figures such as UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed shock at the airstrikes, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called for the ceasefire to be maintained.
Additional developments noted in the story include the mobilization of families of hostages held by Hamas, who are protesting outside Israel’s parliament due to fears that the resumed fighting endangers their loved ones. Freed hostage Emily Damari and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have also voiced deep concerns over the implications of renewed military pressure. The news further mentions political pressures within Israel—with figures like Bezalel Smotrich openly supporting the return to fighting—and notes that a senior Hamas official accused Netanyahu’s decision of effectively sentencing remaining hostages to death.
This escalation disrupts a period of relative calm during Ramadan and raises the prospect of a full return to conflict in a 17-month war that has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and caused widespread destruction. The renewed hostilities are rooted in the failure to extend the existing ceasefire and reflect the deep-seated tens
[SOURCE: AL JAZEERA]
