Israel has renewed its attacks on Gaza, launching an intense barrage of airstrikes on Tuesday morning, March 18, that has killed 413 Palestinians, a figure that is likely to rise, with hospitals across the Strip overwhelmed with casualties. In addition, the Israeli army called on Palestinian civilians to forcibly evacuate areas in the north and south of the Gaza Strip as it aims to expand its aggression. The occupation called on civilians in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, and Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira, and al-Jadidah in the south, to evacuate to areas west of Gaza City and to the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis.
Palestinians mourns their relatives in Deir al-Balah in Gaza Strip, March 18, 2025 (Photo: WAFA)
The aggression was resumed amidst concerns over the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Strip given the ongoing siege and ban on the entry of medical and humanitarian aid. Israel has waged military onslaught on the Strip since October 2023, killing over 48,572 Palestinians, mostly women and children and injuring 112,032 others.
The harrowing Israeli assault come after weeks of stalled talks between Hamas and Israel over an extension of the ceasefire, as well as the Israel’s resumption of an aid blockade and the cutting off electricity in Gaza. The US said it had foreknowledge of the Israeli strikes, and had coordinated with Tel Aviv before the brutal strikes took place. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the Trump administration had been “consulted by the Israelis on their attacks on Gaza tonight”, and doubled down on threats that “all hell will break loose” against those that “seek to terrorize” Israel and the United States. President Donald Trump gave Israel a “green light” to the war in Gaza, an Israeli official is quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says he is “shocked” by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and has called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be respected. Guterres, in a statement, calls for humanitarian aid to resume for people in Gaza and for the hostages held by Hamas to be released unconditionally. Also, the United Nations’ Humanitarian Coordinator for the West Bank and Gaza urges for the ceasefire in Gaza to be immediately reinstated after Israeli airstrikes resumed in the enclave today, threatening a complete collapse of the two-month truce. “Waves of airstrikes occurred across the Gaza strip since the early hours of the morning. This is unconscionable. A ceasefire must be reinstated immediately,” Muhannad Hadi says in a statement.
Israeli protest groups opposition politicians have slammed the decision, particularly as it could risk the lives of Israeli captives held in Gaza. The Democrats (Meretz and Labor parties) leader Yair Golan called for protests and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “using the lives of our citizens and soldiers because he fears the public protests.”
The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) and the Communist Party of Israel (CPI) in a communique against the deadly Israeli attack warned of the dangers and disastrous repercussions on the conflict arena, the countries of the region and the world, and which affirmed their adherence to the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the embodiment of the Palestinian state on the ground with East Jerusalem as its capital, in implementation of the principle of the two-state solution.
Hadash and CPI considered the attack and the forced displacement of Gaza residents a crime against humanity and a serious violation of international law, against the auto determination and legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, and a destabilizing factor in the region. “The fascist government has once again broken the ceasefire in the most appalling way, with air strikes that targeted refugee camps and other civilian locations, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people, including many children,” they said.
Hadash-Ta’al chair, MK Ayman Odeh accused Netanyahu of choosing “more war and destruction” to maintain power. MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash), said on X the ceasefire was “shattered on purpose by Netanyahu and his cronies”.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement warning that “the greatest fear of the families, the hostages and the citizens of Israel has come true – the Israeli government has chosen to give up on the hostages”. They also called on Israelis in Jerusalem to protest the decision. Several protests against the war and occupation will be held tonight in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer Sheva and other localities across the country.
Today, several hundred protesters marched on the road to Jerusalem, aiming for the Knesset, part of a larger set of demonstrations planned for this evening and tomorrow, Shikma Bressler, one of the country’s leading activists in the anti-judicial overhaul movement, urges Israelis to take to the streets and demonstrate for the future of the country and the lives of the hostages.
Freed hostages Yarden Bibas, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert write on social media about the fears and trepidation they’re experiencing since Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas and restarted war on Gaza early Tuesday morning. “Israel’s decision to return to fighting brings me back to Gaza, to the moments where I heard the sounds of explosions around me and where I feared for my life as I was afraid that the tunnel where I was being held would collapse,” Bibas writes in English on social media. “My wife and children were kidnapped alive and were brutally murdered in captivity. The military pressure endangers the hostages while an agreement brings them home.” Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, pens a social media post accusing Netanyahu of “choosing to murder our hostages.”
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32502
