Israeli warplanes launched a fierce bombardment of the Gaza Strip overnight, shattering the fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January of this year. This airstrike marks a significant escalation of the situation, drawing high concern from the international community.
Read Also...:
'They wanted to be doctors, teachers': Gazans grieve children killed in massive Israeli strikes
03-20, 2025
Israel-Hamas war: UN says worker killed in Gaza as air strikes resume
03-20, 2025
British MPs call for sanctions on UAE officials over detention of UK national
03-20, 2025
18 March 2025: The day 183 children in Gaza were massacred by Israel
03-20, 2025Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Hamas for the resumption of these deadly airstrikes. Netanyahu stated in a statement that the military had been instructed to take "tough action" against Hamas due to its "repeated refusal to release hostages" and rejection of the American proposal. Israeli military sources have also stated in local media that they have noticed Hamas intensifying its activities in recent days in an attempt to reorganize its forces.
While the ceasefire had largely held until last night, Gaza's Hamas health ministry officials say that more than 140 people have been killed by Israel since it came into effect in January. In recent weeks, the Israeli military has stated that they have repeatedly struck targets believed to be Hamas militants who posed a threat to Israeli forces stationed in Gaza. However, the reasons behind Netanyahu's decision to resume attacks on Hamas remain disputed.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused the government of "complete deception," withdrawing from a deal that "could have brought everyone home." Some of the Prime Minister's harshest critics, meanwhile, suggest that the attacks are an attempt by Netanyahu to divert attention from the damaging legal and political crises he faces at home. Most critically, there is a fundamental dispute between Israel and Hamas over who bears responsibility for the recent failure to advance ceasefire efforts.
The ceasefire agreement reached on January 19, mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt over several months, laid out a detailed three-phase plan to advance a cessation of hostilities. In the first phase, Hamas would release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and allowing aid and other supplies into the Gaza Strip. With the guns falling silent, tens of thousands of displaced Gazans returned to their homes, and Hamas and Israel were scheduled to begin negotiations on the second phase.
Both sides had previously agreed that the second phase of negotiations would include the release of all remaining hostages and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, thereby achieving a permanent end to the war. The first phase ended on March 1, but negotiations on the next phase made no progress. Instead, Israel completely halted all aid entering Gaza, drawing widespread international concern and expressions of support for a new proposal put forward by the United States.
Last week in Qatar, Israeli and Hamas delegations gathered to negotiate how to advance a ceasefire, with US envoy Steve Witkoff presenting his new "bridging proposal," which would extend the expired first phase. More hostages would come home in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, but crucially, negotiations on a permanent end to the war would be postponed. This is a central factor in the breakdown of the ceasefire.
Israel's two key goals—getting the hostages home and defeating Hamas—are not entirely achievable simultaneously. Simply put, Hamas has only one card to play in negotiations: the hostages. They are unwilling to release more hostages in the next phase of a ceasefire unless Israeli forces begin withdrawing from the Gaza Strip as agreed upon in the original ceasefire agreement. Israel is resisting this. The new US proposal attempts to bring more hostages home while postponing commitments to ending the war and the question of whether Hamas will continue to exist in some form.
In recent days, the United States and Israel have framed Hamas's insistence on the terms of the original ceasefire agreement, rather than renegotiating its terms, as a "rejection" of extending the ceasefire. Witkoff accused Hamas of "publicly claiming flexibility while privately making completely unrealistic demands in the absence of a permanent ceasefire." However, as early as late February, Israeli officials had already revealed to local media that its forces would not violate the ceasefire agreement by withdrawing from key locations in Gaza.
While we cannot know the details of closed-door negotiations, what we do know is that Israel stopped sending aid to Gaza 17 days ago in an attempt to force new concessions from Hamas. So far, this has not worked, and now it appears that Israel has resumed violence in an attempt to reach a new agreement, one that is more favorable to its political leaders and less so to Hamas.
From now on, the situation in Gaza may differ from the ceasefire period of the past two months. This morning, the Israeli military released a map ordering Palestinians to leave large areas around the Gaza Strip, undoubtedly including thousands of Gazans who had already returned there. Hamas has called for a halt to Israeli military operations and, as of this writing, has not indicated that it will resume fighting.
However, a BBC journalist near the Israeli-Gaza border today was told by a soldier that a call had been issued for 40,000 Israeli army reservists to report for duty. This appears to confirm reports in the Israeli media that the military has been preparing to relaunch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Re-launching military operations in Gaza also brings political benefits for Prime Minister Netanyahu. This morning, the hard-right Jewish Power party announced it would return to the ruling coalition, including former minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned in protest over the ceasefire. Securing their cooperation is crucial as the government seeks to pass the current budget.
Israel's actions last night may be a one-off attempt to force Hamas to make concessions at the negotiating table. However, it could also foreshadow another round of intense fighting on the ground, to the dismay of exhausted families in Gaza and anxious Israeli hostage families.
