Israel Bombs Gaza Again, Ceasefire Ends

DEIR Al-BALAH, TUESDAY — Israel has again bombed various parts of Gaza. As of Tuesday (3/18/2025) afternoon, at least 324 people have been killed by the attacks.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said the attack effectively ended the ceasefire process. The Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu was accused of bringing uncertainty to the future of peace. "This is sabotage to all efforts to achieve peace," said PIJ.

The Gaza Communications Office said the attacks prove that Israel knows nothing but murder, destruction and mass extermination. "They (Israel) show the true intentions of the occupation by shedding the blood of innocent people without any moral constraints, proving that they have clearly planned to continue the genocide against children and women," the statement said.

The attacks were launched as negotiations to continue the ceasefire were underway. The ceasefire from January 19 to March 1, 2025 ended without an agreement to continue. In fact, during the several-week ceasefire, Israel continued to attack Gaza repeatedly. The series of attacks killed at least 200 people in Gaza.

Israel launched a larger attack after there was no certainty about the continuation of the ceasefire. Explosions were heard in various locations in the Gaza Strip during the attacks. Among the attacks were around the urban refugee camp of Bureij.

There was also an attack on a school complex that serves as a shelter for Palestinian refugees. Ambulances arrive at Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza.

Netanyahu said he and Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the attack. Lack of progress in ceasefire negotiations was the reason for Netanyahu's order.

"(The attack) came after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from the US presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from mediators," the Israeli PM's office said in a statement.

With negotiations yet to progress, The New York Times reported, “Israel will act against Hamas with increased military force.”

A senior Hamas official told Reuters that with the airstrike, Israel unilaterally ended the Gaza ceasefire agreement. In a statement, Hamas said that Netanyahu's decision to continue Israel's aggression against Gaza left the fate of the hostages in limbo.

Hamas called on mediators, namely the US, Qatar and Egypt, to hold Netanyahu fully accountable for unilaterally terminating the ceasefire agreement. Hamas also called on Arab and Muslim countries to support the Palestinian resistance aimed at breaking the unfair blockade imposed on Gaza.

Hamas called on the UN Security Council to immediately convene to pass a resolution requiring Israel to stop its aggression.

Mouin Rabbani, a non-resident researcher at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, told Al Jazeera it was unclear whether the intense wave of air strikes on the Gaza Strip was intended as a single attack or the start of a larger offensive.

According to Rabbani, the statement came as Israel was seen as refusing to carry out its commitments under the January ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

In the second phase of ceasefire talks, Hamas is set to release all remaining hostages, while Israel will fully withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip. Hamas is believed to have 24 hostages still alive and the bodies of 35 others.

According to Rabbani, the basis for the assessment that Israel is rejecting the commitments of the agreement lies in the point that Israel will fully withdraw troops from the Gaza Strip and negotiations leading to a lasting ceasefire. "These are points that the Israeli government has repeatedly said it will not do," Rabbani said.

“In other words, (Israel) signed the agreement knowing that they would refuse to implement it,” Rabbani added.

The agreement in the second round of talks is currently being negotiated in Qatar. The talks have also been difficult and there has been no progress given the deep-rooted disagreements between the two sides.

Taher Nunu, a Hamas official, criticized Israel. "The international community faces a moral test: either to allow the crimes committed by the occupation army to continue or to uphold its commitment to ending the aggression and war on the innocent people of Gaza," Nunu said.

In the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire, the lull in the fighting brought some relief to Gaza. The ceasefire allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had fled to the south to return to their remaining homes in northern Gaza.

The Gaza Strip faces the prospect of major destruction without any immediate plan to rebuild the territory. If the Israeli airstrikes are intended to restart the war, it would threaten the progress made in recent weeks.

In addition to attacking the Gaza Strip, Israel has also attacked Lebanon. Israel said it attacked two members of the militant group Hezbollah in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor. Israel called them “observation agents.”

Lebanon's state news agency reported two people were killed in the attack. Two others were injured.

The Israeli military also said it had launched further strikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, without specifying the locations. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in late November, ending 14 months of war between the two sides. Each side has repeatedly accused the other of violating the deal.

Not only Israel, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria also attacked Lebanon. According to Arab media, Al Mayadeen, HTS launched an attack on the Lebanese border town of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali in Hermel District, Baalbek-Hermel Province.

HTS shelling in Lebanon killed 7 and wounded 36. The Lebanese army responded to the Syrian attack by launching airstrikes on artillery targeting civilians in Lebanese areas.

Rockets from the Syrian countryside of al-Qusayr also hit the nearby town of al-Qasr. HTS militants have also reportedly entered the Lebanese side of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali. However, Al Mayadeen's correspondent confirmed that the armed group remains at least 500 meters from the town.

The Lebanese military is ready to strengthen its defense positions and prevent further violations of Lebanon's sovereignty. In addition, communication between the Lebanese military and the Syrian authorities continues to restore calm in the border areas.

According to Syrian media, at least five militants were killed in clashes along the Syrian-Lebanese border. (AP/REUTERS)