The Israeli military has launched a series of powerful strikes against the Palestinian Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, resuming military operations after a period of relative calm. According to foreign media, at least 200 people, including children, were killed in the attack, which was confirmed by medical sources in the enclave. Tel Aviv says the escalation is due to Hamas' refusal to continue the process of releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 2023. 

One of the key episodes of the operation was an airstrike on a refugee camp near the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. The bombing resulted in significant civilian casualties and, according to preliminary data, killed Hamas political bureau member Abu Ubaidah al-Jamasi and his family. The Israeli side has not yet confirmed this information, but the IDF statement emphasized that the strikes were aimed exclusively at the group's military facilities. The decision to resume hostilities was made personally by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz after consultations with the military leadership. 

Tel Aviv claims that the operation became inevitable after Hamas rejected all peace proposals conveyed through US Special Representative to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and other mediators, including Qatar and Egypt. A statement from Netanyahu's office emphasized that Israel was ready for compromises, but faced "unacceptable stubbornness" from the Palestinian side. Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of unilaterally violating the previously reached truce, saying that the IDF's actions endangered the lives of the hostages, whose fate now remains uncertain. 

The conflict escalated after the failure of talks launched in January 2025, when the parties, brokered by the US and Qatar, agreed to a temporary ceasefire and prisoner exchange. At that time, Hamas released 33 hostages, and Israel released more than 18 Palestinian prisoners. However, subsequent rounds of consultations held in Doha in early March did not yield results. According to Axios, Israel resumed the operation on March 19, using massive strikes for the first time since January XNUMX.