Israel makes 'extensive' strikes in Gaza, ending standoff over ceasefire

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 9:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The Israeli subject said it hit targets crossed Gaza early connected Tuesday, ending a weeks-long standoff implicit extending the ceasefire that halted warring successful January, with Palestinian Health Ministry officials reporting astatine slightest 100 dead.

Strikes were reported in locations including bluish Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah successful cardinal and confederate Gaza Strip.

The military, which said it deed dozens of targets, said the strikes would proceed for arsenic agelong arsenic indispensable and would widen beyond airstrikes.

The attacks were acold wider successful standard than the regular bid of drone strikes the Israeli subject has said it has conducted against individuals oregon tiny groups of suspected militants and follows weeks of failed efforts to hold connected an hold to the truce, which began connected Jan. 19.

Hamas says Israel had overturned the ceasefire agreement, leaving the destiny of 59 hostages inactive held successful Gaza uncertain.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau accused Hamas of "repeated refusal to merchandise our hostages" and rejecting proposals from U.S. President Donald Trump's mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.

"Israel will, from present on, enactment against Hamas with expanding subject strength."

In Washington, a White House spokesperson said Israel had consulted the U.S. medication earlier it carried retired the strikes, which the subject said targeted mid-level Hamas commanders and enactment officials arsenic good arsenic infrastructure belonging to the militant group.

Negotiating teams from Israel and Hamas had been successful Doha arsenic mediators from Egypt and Qatar sought to span the spread betwixt the 2 sides pursuing the extremity of an archetypal signifier successful the ceasefire, which saw 33 Israeli hostages and 5 Thais returned by militant groups successful Gaza successful speech for immoderate 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Aid deliveries blocked

With the backing of the United States, Israel had been pressing for the instrumentality of the remaining 59 hostages inactive held successful Gaza successful speech for a longer-term truce that would person halted warring until aft the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover vacation successful April.

However Hamas had been insisting connected moving to negotiations for a imperishable extremity to the warfare and a afloat withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, successful accordance with the presumption of the archetypal ceasefire agreement.

Each broadside has accused the different of failing to respect the presumption of the January ceasefire agreement, and determination were aggregate hiccups during the people of the archetypal phase. But until now, a afloat instrumentality to the warring had been avoided.

Israel had blocked deliveries of assistance from entering Gaza and had threatened connected galore occasions to resume warring if Hamas did not hold to instrumentality the hostages it inactive holds.

The service did not supply details astir the strikes carried retired successful the aboriginal hours of Tuesday but Palestinian wellness authorities and witnesses contacted by Reuters reported harm successful galore areas of Gaza, wherever hundreds of thousands are surviving successful makeshift shelters oregon damaged buildings.

A gathering successful Gaza City, successful the bluish extremity of the portion was deed and astatine slightest 3 houses were deed successful Deir Al-Balah successful cardinal Gaza. In addition, the strikes deed targets successful the confederate cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, according to medics and witnesses.

Much of Gaza present lies successful ruins aft 15 months of fighting, which erupted connected Oct. 7, 2023, erstwhile thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israeli communities astir the Gaza Strip, sidesplitting immoderate 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and abducting 251 hostages into Gaza.

The Israeli run successful effect has killed much than 48,000 people, according to Palestinian wellness authorities, and destroyed overmuch of the lodging and infrastructure successful the enclave.