Ceasefire Shattered: Israel’s Renewed War in Gaza

By IndraStra Global Editorial Team

Cover Image Attribute: Palestinians walk through the debris of the Elias Tarazi family's home, which was demolished by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City's al-Sabra neighborhood on March 19, 2025. / Source: Omar al-Qattaa, AFP

On March 18, 2025, the fragile ceasefire that had held between Israel and Hamas for two months crumbled under the weight of renewed Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, marking a dramatic return to war. The resumption of hostilities, which shattered a period of relative calm since January, has plunged the region back into chaos, with devastating consequences for Gaza’s civilian population and renewed international concern over the escalating conflict. According to reputable news outlets such as Reuters, The New York Times, and CNN, the breakdown of the truce stems from stalled negotiations over the release of hostages and irreconcilable demands between the two sides, setting the stage for what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ominously described as only the beginning of a broader military campaign.

The ceasefire, brokered in January with the involvement of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, had offered a rare respite after more than 15 months of relentless warfare. It facilitated the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where the war had already claimed nearly 50,000 lives, predominantly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry as reported by CNN. However, the truce was always tenuous, with both sides accusing each other of failing to uphold its terms. Israel’s decision to resume military operations came after Hamas rejected a proposal to release half of the remaining hostages as a precondition for extending the ceasefire, a demand Netanyahu insisted was non-negotiable. “Israel has launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says are ‘only the beginning’ and ‘a necessary condition for freeing hostages,’” reported AP News, capturing the Israeli leader’s justification for the renewed offensive.

The initial wave of strikes on March 18 was staggering in its intensity, killing more than 400 Palestinians in a single day, according to Palestinian health authorities cited by Reuters. “Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza and killed more than 400 people on Tuesday, Palestinian health authorities said, shattering nearly two months of relative calm since a ceasefire began,” Reuters reported, underscoring the scale of the assault. Eyewitnesses described a nightmare scenario, with bombs raining down from north to south, forcing families to flee their homes once again. The BBC noted, “The Israeli military says it is targeting Hamas ‘terror targets’, but eyewitnesses describe a nightmare scenario,” highlighting the discrepancy between Israel’s stated objectives and the lived reality on the ground. Among the casualties were at least 170 children, a toll the UNICEF described as one of the deadliest single-day losses for children globally in the past year, according to CNN.

As the bombardment continued into a second day, Israel expanded its operations, launching ground incursions into central and southern Gaza. The New York Times reported, “The Israeli military expanded its ground operations across the Gaza Strip on Thursday as Hamas fired rockets at central Israel for the first time in months, in what looked increasingly like a slide back toward full-scale war”. The military retook control of the Netzarim corridor, a strategic strip bisecting Gaza that it had vacated as part of the January ceasefire, signaling a clear intent to reassert dominance over the territory. Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that attacks would intensify until Hamas relinquished control of Gaza and freed the remaining hostages, a stance echoed by Netanyahu.

The resumption of war has sparked fierce debate both within Israel and internationally. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, protesters took to the streets, accusing Netanyahu of exploiting the conflict to bolster his political position amid domestic controversies, including his push to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet security service. “Protesters in Israel accused Benjamin Netanyahu of ordering the airstrikes that shattered the ceasefire in Gaza to provide ‘cover’ for a campaign to dismantle Israel’s democratic system and to maintain his own grip on power,” The Guardian reported. Critics, including families of the hostages, expressed anguish over the renewed violence, with more than half of the recently freed hostages opposing the war’s resumption out of fear for those still held captive. NPR quoted a senior Hamas official saying, “Mediators were holding ceasefire talks with Hamas in the wee hours of the morning Tuesday when the surprise Israeli strikes began,” suggesting the timing of the assault caught even negotiators off guard.

Internationally, the response has been one of condemnation and alarm. The U.N. emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher, decried the destruction of the ceasefire’s modest gains, stating, “The ‘modest gains’ made during the ceasefire had been destroyed,” as reported by Reuters. Turkey labeled the strikes a “new phase in Gaza genocide policy,” while the United States, a key Israeli ally, placed the blame squarely on Hamas. “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told Reuters, reflecting Washington’s continued support for Israel’s actions.

For the people of Gaza, the return to war has reignited a humanitarian crisis that had only begun to ease during the ceasefire. Israel’s blockade on aid deliveries, in place for over two weeks, has exacerbated shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, leaving 2.1 million people in dire straits. “Israel has halted aid deliveries into Gaza for more than two weeks, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis,” Reuters noted, painting a grim picture of the enclave’s plight. Displaced Palestinians, many of whom had returned to the ruins of their homes during the truce, were once again forced to flee, with the Israeli military ordering evacuations but restricting movement to the coastal road on foot.

As of March 21, 2025, the death toll since the ceasefire’s collapse has climbed to nearly 600, with no end in sight. Hamas has vowed to resist, with its fighters reportedly on high alert, while Israel shows no signs of relenting. Netanyahu’s assertion that negotiations will now proceed “under fire,” as reported by The New York Times, suggests a prolonged conflict looms on the horizon. The war’s resumption has not only dashed hopes of a lasting peace but also deepened the suffering of a population already pushed to the brink, leaving the international community grappling with how to respond to a crisis that defies resolution.

With reporting by AP News, BBC, CNN, The New York Times, and Reuters.

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