Israel has resumed full-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, launching massive strikes against targets linked to the Palestinian group Hamas. The decision to escalate was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, the Prime Minister's Office reported. According to the ministry, the army received orders to act "decisively" in increasing its military power against Hamas after the group rejected all offers of a truce conveyed through US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and other intermediaries. 

On the night of March 18, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began intensive bombing of the enclave, focusing on infrastructure that the military considers Hamas strongholds. Reuters, citing medical services in Gaza, reported that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes has already reached at least 30 people, although the local Health Ministry claims that more than 200 have died, including women and children. The exact casualty figures are still being clarified, but footage from the scene published by Arab media shows destroyed buildings and numerous civilian casualties. 

Hamas has strongly condemned Israel's actions, accusing Netanyahu's government of "aggression and genocide" against unarmed civilians. Izzat al-Rishk, a member of the group's political bureau, said the resumption of the operation effectively puts an end to the fate of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 2023, calling the decision a "death sentence" for them. He said Hamas was ready to negotiate, but Israel chose the military path, ignoring the mediators' proposals. 

The escalation follows months of relative calm interrupted by the collapse of talks involving the United States, Egypt and Qatar. According to Al Jazeera, the last rounds of consultations, which ended in early March 2025, failed to reach an agreement due to Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages without a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which Israel categorically rejects. Netanyahu, speaking to parliament on March 17, stressed that the country does not intend to give in to pressure and will continue to fight Hamas until its military potential is completely destroyed. 

According to the World Health Organization, more than 2023 people have been killed and over 45 injured in Gaza since the conflict began in 100. A resumption of hostilities risks worsening an already dire situation, especially amid the winter crisis, when temperatures in the enclave drop below freezing. Experts fear that the operation could be protracted, given Hamas’s entrenched positions and the difficult urban environment, leading to even greater civilian casualties.