The world awoke to the surprising information that Israel had resumed its genocidal warfare on Gaza.
Questions abounded: How many individuals have been damage? Why is that this taking place? How did we get right here?
Here’s what we all know:
What is occurring in Gaza?
Israel killed greater than 400 individuals in in a single day assaults on Tuesday, launching air raids as individuals slept within the early hours of the morning.
The workplace of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a press release saying the resumption of Israel’s warfare on Gaza.
The place did the assaults happen?
In keeping with stories, Israeli raids focused the northern, central, and southern governorates.
Al Jazeera Arabic reported that Israeli tanks shelled the city of Abasan in Khan Younis.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abou Azzoum mentioned, “A lot of the air strikes have been on closely built-up neighbourhoods, makeshift colleges and residential buildings the place individuals are taking shelter.”
What do we all know concerning the victims?
No less than 404 individuals have been reported killed by Israel in only a few hours.
Photographs rising from the bottom confirmed youngsters among the many victims. There may be an unknown variety of individuals nonetheless beneath the rubble.
The Authorities Media Workplace mentioned: “Most of those martyrs and lacking individuals are ladies, youngsters, and the aged”, including that in some circumstances, “complete households” had been killed.
What purpose did Israel give for breaking the ceasefire?
Israel claims it’s doing this to pressure Hamas to launch the captives being held in Gaza.
It additionally claims it is aware of that Hamas was rearming and planning a brand new assault.
Nevertheless, “Israel itself had determined to take away itself from the negotiations for part two of this deal that will in the end see an finish to the warfare and the discharge of all 59 Israeli captives nonetheless being held in Gaza”, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut mentioned.
Israel had been making an attempt to keep away from shifting to the second part of the ceasefire, with backing from america, whereas Hamas has argued that the deal ought to proceed to part two, as initially agreed upon.
What’s Hamas saying?
Hamas launched a press release on its Telegram accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire and persevering with its genocide.
It referred to as the assaults a “blatant violation of all worldwide and humanitarian conventions” and mentioned the perilous humanitarian state of affairs and lack of gas on the bottom meant most of the wounded died as a result of they have been unable to achieve hospitals.
What has been the US response?
The White Home mentioned Israel consulted the US earlier than resuming the assaults.
What do we all know concerning the captives?
There are about 59 Israeli captives left in Gaza, of whom lower than half are believed to nonetheless be alive, in response to the Israeli authorities.
Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and risking the lives of the captives.
The discussion board of households of captives in Israel mentioned “their best concern has come true” and blamed their authorities for giving up on the captives.
“We’re shocked, offended, and scared concerning the deliberate disruption of the method to return our family members from the horrible captivity of Hamas,” the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board mentioned in a press release.
💥Hostage Households Discussion board: “The best concern of the households, the hostages, and the residents of Israel has come true. The Israeli authorities has chosen to surrender on the hostages. We’re shocked, offended, and scared concerning the deliberate disruption of the method to return our cherished…
— Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي (@NTarnopolsky) March 18, 2025
What led to this escalation?
We advised you concerning the Israeli claims and the way the negotiations truly went.
On reflection, Israel might have by no means supposed to depart Gaza or cease the warfare.
When each side agreed to a ceasefire, Israel refused to state in writing that it will not resume hostilities after the primary part.
Hamas nonetheless agreed to the phrases after receiving verbal ensures from mediators – Egypt, Qatar and the US – that Israel wouldn’t restart its genocidal warfare towards Palestinians.
The US, which provides most of Israel’s arms and supplies it with unwavering help, is the one nation with actual leverage towards Israel, and it’s clear that it has once more reneged on its promise to guard Palestinian lives from illegal – seemingly felony – Israeli violence.
However Israel mentioned it was solely doing this for the captives, proper?
That may be very, very onerous to imagine.
Israel’s warfare in Gaza can be a part of a wider battle it’s waging throughout the area, claiming that it’s needed for its safety.
It has been bombing southern Lebanon just about since a ceasefire was signed between it and the Lebanese authorities. On March 16, it killed 4 individuals in two villages.
The identical night time, Israel killed two individuals within the Syrian metropolis of Deraa, claiming it was concentrating on remnants of the regime of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, though it isn’t clear why that issues them.
What’s extra, Israel is continuous its violent marketing campaign of raids on occupied West Financial institution refugee camps, claiming to be making an attempt to root out Palestinian fighters.
Nevertheless, specialists beforehand advised Al Jazeera that armed teams in Palestinian refugee camps don’t pose a menace to Israel, having shaped in 2021 largely to answer Israel’s violent, frequent raids on the camps and its entrenching and more and more violent occupation, which violates worldwide regulation.
