# March 2025 Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip

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On 18 March 2025, Israel launched a large-scale missile and artillery attack in the Gaza Strip, the heaviest since a previous ceasefire agreement with Hamas. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which has named the offensive Operation Might and Sword (Hebrew: מבצע עוז וחרב, Oz VaHerev), stated that the strikes targeted leadership figures, mid-ranking military commanders, and operational infrastructure of Hamas, in coordination with the United States, following a breakdown in hostage release negotiations.
The offensive, which included airstrikes on multiple targets in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, was described by the IDF as part of a broader strategy to weaken Hamas's governance and operational capacity. According to Gaza Health Ministry, the attacks resulted with over 404 people killed, and hundreds more injured. Among the dead was Mahmoud Abu Wafah, one of the highest-ranking Hamas members in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry deemed 18 March as the Gaza war's deadliest day since the war's beginning in October 2023.
The Israeli government said it carried out the attack in response to Hamas's refusal to extend a ceasefire through additional hostage releases. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that military operations would continue until all Israeli hostages were freed and Hamas's military capabilities were neutralized. The attacks occurred a few weeks after United States President Donald Trump warned that "all hell" would break loose if Hamas did not release hostages. US envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading mediation efforts alongside Egypt and Qatar, previously stated that Hamas must release living hostages immediately "or pay a severe price." US National Security Council spokesman asserted that the group "could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war." Israel informed the US before initiating the operation.
Hamas condemned the strikes as a violation of the ceasefire, accusing Israel of endangering hostages held in Gaza. The escalation prompted international reactions, with the United Nations Security Council convening an emergency session to address the crisis. The regional mediators intensified diplomatic efforts to broker a renewed truce. The US reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense and attributed responsibility to Hamas for the failure to extend the ceasefire through hostage negotiations. The White House released a statement saying that Hamas and other regional entities "will see a price to pay," reiterating that "All hell will break loose."

## Background

In January 2025, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, temporarily pausing the Gaza war. However, according to Palestinian officials, the Israel Defense Forces violated the ceasefire hundreds of times, carrying out strikes on the Gaza Strip that had killed over 100 people. Netanyahu and Israeli officials have claimed that Hamas violated the ceasefire during a body release. Hamas claims that a mix-up may have occurred.
On 2 March, shortly after the beginning of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, Israel shut down the entry of all humanitarian aid (including food and fuel) into the Gaza Strip. A few days later, Israel shut down electricity to Gaza Strip's main desalination plant, which provided drinking water for 500,000 Palestinians.
On 17 March, a day before renewed Israeli airstrikes began, Gadi Eisenkot and several Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee opposition lawmakers claimed that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) had initiated a resurgence in their military capabilities during the ceasefire, growing their forces to 25,000 and 5,000 troops respectively. The opposition members accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of failing to either eliminate Hamas and allied groups' military capabilities or rescue the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu was scheduled on 18 March to testify in his corruption trial, but as a result of the attacks, the legal proceedings were postponed. An Israeli military report released on the same day alleged that Hamas had begun preparations for a new raid on Israel to attack communities and kibbutzim near the border, as well as Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

## Attacks

The attacks began on 18 March 2025, at approximately 2:20 a.m local time, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Following a ceasefire instituted around two months prior, the Israeli strikes of 18 March 2025 were a surprise attack, with the Israeli military stating that their attack "plan was kept in closed circles in the IDF to create an element of surprise and deception."
Israeli warplanes began entering Gaza at 2:30 a.m., and the Israel Defense Forces announced on Telegram that it and the Israeli Security Agency were "conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip". According to the Associated Press, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after ceasefire talks appeared to stall. The strikes have targeted Rafah, Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat, Al-Bureij, Al-Zaytoun, Al-Karama, and Beit Hanoun, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Al Jazeera reported strikes in Al-Mawasi, Rafah.
An unidentified Israeli military official stated to Reuters that they would continue the attacks indefinitely, and would incorporate further military elements beyond airstrikes.
An Al Jazeera reporter in Gaza stated that heavy shelling from Israeli tanks targeted eastern sections of Abasan, Khan Yunis. The shelling reportedly killed thirteen people. One strike in Rafah reportedly killed seventeen members of a single family. The Al-Tabi’in School in Gaza City, which was sheltering refugees at the time of the attacks, was struck, causing segments of the building to collapse. A Gaza City prison in the Al-Shati refugee camp was hit in an airstrike, collapsing the building and killing over thirty-six prisoners and prison guards.

## Aftermath
### Casualties

| Name | Role |
| Issam Da’alis | Member of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza and head of the governmental activity monitoring committee |
| Ahmad al-Khatta | Director-General of Hamas’s justice ministry |
| Mahmoud Abu Watfa | Headed the Hamas's interior ministry; responsible for Hamas’s police and internal security services in Gaza |
| Bahjat Abu Sultan | Head of Hamas’s internal security forces |
| Abu Hamza | Spokesperson for al-Quds Brigades of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad |
| Yasser Harab | Member of Hamas’s political bureau |
| Mohamed al-Gamasy | Member of Hamas’s political bureau |
At least 404 people have been killed, including children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry reported that more than 660 people were injured due to the attacks. Over seventy people were reported injured in central Gaza. The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation said that the attacks targeted political officials and Hamas commanders. The head of the Gaza Health Ministry's records department Zaher al-Waheidi stated that 263 or more victims were women or children. He deemed 18 March as the Gaza war's deadliest day since the war's beginning in October 2023.
The Gaza Strip's Government Media Office stated that most of the casualties were women, the elderly, and children; reporting that "entire families" had been killed. The office said that the attacks were tactically designed to destroy the will of the Gazan population, and urged the international community to stop the attacks and hold Israeli officials accountable.

### Israeli responses
#### Gaza blockade

During and following the strikes, Israel implemented a total blockade on all humanitarian supplies, including food, water, healthcare medications and supplies, cooking materials, and other essential goods. Several requests made by the United Nations Security Council to collect and distribute aid left at the Karem Shalom border crossing were "systematically denied". In addition, Israel cut off power to the desalination plant in southern Gaza, restricting the availability of clean water for about 600,000 people. The blockade on commercial goods led to surging prices of staple foods, with prices for vegetables tripling in North Gaza and at least six World Food Programme-subsidized bakeries being forces to close as a result of lacking cooking supplies and gas.

#### Evacuations

The Israeli Defense Forces ordered the evacuation of all civilians from areas of eastern Gaza towards its center. The areas placed in evacuation orders included Beit Hanoun in North Gaza, as well as Abasan al-Kabira, Abasan al-Saghira, and Khuza'a in Khan Yunis.

### Gaza responses

The Education Ministry in the Gaza Strip ordered the suspension of classes in dozens of schools.

## Reactions
### Israel

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said that Israel has "returned to fighting in Gaza". He further stated that if Hamas did not release all held captives in Palestinian territory, that Israel would open the "gates of hell" on Gaza, and would discharge forces that Hamas "have never known before". Israel indefinitely shut down the Rafah Border Crossing during the attacks.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement on Twitter/X, claiming that Hamas persistently refused to release Israeli hostages kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel while rejecting all proposals offered by mediators and United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

### Palestine

Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq stated that "Netanyahu's decision to resume war" was "a decision to sacrifice the occupation's prisoners and impose a death sentence on them". A senior official of Hamas stated to Reuters that the renewed attacks represented Israel's unilateral termination of the ceasefire started in January 19. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) characterized Israel as "deliberately sabotaging all efforts to reach a ceasefire" to restart its "war of extermination" on Gaza. The paramilitary group called Netanyahu's cabinet a "bloodthirsty Nazi government", and vowed that the cabinet will fail to achieve their objectives. Hamas official Taher Nunu described the attacks as a "moral test" for the international community, based on whether it would allow the bombardments on civilians to go on, or if it acted to stop the violence towards Palestinian civilians.

### International

* Belgium: Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot stated on X, calling for both parties to implement the second phase of the agreement, "which must pave the way for reconstruction and peace for all", further condemning the "new Israeli strikes and their heavy human toll", adding that Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid to Palestinians was "a serious violation of international law".
* China: Ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was "highly concerned" about the attacks, calling for parties to avoid any actions "that could lead to an escalation of the situation, and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster".
* Egypt: The Egyptian government which is acting as a mediator alongside Qatar and the US, called the Israeli attacks a "flagrant violation" of the deal with the foreign ministry calling the attacks a "dangerous escalation which threatens to have bring serious about consequences for the stability of the region".
* France: The foreign ministry condemned the attacks, calling for "an immediate end to hostilities, which are jeopardizing efforts to free the hostages and threatening the lives of the civilian population in Gaza".
* Iran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated the US had direct responsibility for "the continuation of genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories".
* Jordan: Government spokesman Mohammed Momani said that Jordan has been following Israel's "aggressive and barbaric bombing of the Gaza Strip" and understands the need to stop it.
* Netherlands: Foreign Minister Casper Veldkamp stated on X that "all hostilities must end permanently", he stated that all parties should "respect the terms of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal. All civilians must be protected,"and added that "We urge all parties to implement it in full: the remaining hostages must be released, humanitarian aid must reach those in need."
* Norway: Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the Israeli attacks were "a great tragedy" for the people of Gaza. Saying that "They are almost without protection. Many of them live in tents and on the ruins of what has been destroyed".
* Qatar: The Foreign ministry has condemned the attack and warning in a statement that Israel's "escalating policies will ultimately ignite the region and undermine its security and stability".
* Russia: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned of a "spiral of escalation" in the wake of the Israeli attacks.
* Saudi Arabia: The foreign ministry stated that the country voiced it's condemnation and denunciation "in the strongest terms of the Israeli occupation forces' resumption of aggression … and their direct bombardment of areas populated by unarmed civilians".
* Switzerland: The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs wrote on X that they call for an immediate return to the ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.
* Turkey: The Foreign ministry called the Israeli attacks a "new phase in its policy of genocide", further stating that it was unacceptable for Israel to cause a "new cycle of violence" in the region adding Israel's "hostile approach" threatened the future of the region.
* United Kingdom: The British government called on Israel and Hamas to implement their ceasefire agreement for Gaza "in full", calling for all parties to "return urgently to dialogue". The spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that "We want to see this ceasefire agreement re-established as soon as possible," adding that reported civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight were "appalling". The Starmer government publicly rejected a statement by Foreign Secretary David Lammy to the House of Commons assessing that Israel had broken international law with the strikes. Keir Starmer's office stated that it was up to the Foreign Office to decide whether Lammy had overstepped the government's attitude toward the attacks, and if he should apologize.
* Yemen: The Houthi-run Supreme Political Council has condemned the "Zionist enemy's resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip", further stating that "The Palestinian people will not be left alone in this battle, and Yemen will continue its support and assistance, and escalate confrontation steps".

### Non-government organizations

* Hostages and Missing Families Forum: The organization made a statement condemning the renewed attacks as the "intentional shattering" of the process of returning the fifty-nine remaining hostages, and accused Netanyahu's government of “choosing to give up the lives of the hostages”. The forum demanded a return to ceasefire conditions and urged United States President Donald Trump to negotiate for the release of all hostages.
* Islamic Relief: The organization has condemned the inaction of Western and Arab Israeli allies, stating that their "superficial expressions of concerns" instead of imposing arms and trade restrictions against Israel meant little in the face of repeated violations of international law, and made them complicit in the ongoing crimes against humanity.
* United Nations: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement issued by his spokesperson that he is "shocked" by the Israeli attacks, which has killed "a meaningful number" of civilians, further stating that he "strongly appeals for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally".
** UNRWA: The head of the organization Philippe Lazzarini condemned the attack, he wrote "Awful scenes of civilians killed among them children following waves of heavy bombardment from Israeli Forces overnight," he wrote. "Fuelling 'hell on earth' by resuming the war will only bring more despair & suffering."
** Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: High Commissioner Volker Turk stated that the attack will "add tragedy onto tragedy," he further stated that the Israeli attack would “only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions".