ISRAEL LAUNCHES STRIKES ACROSS GAZA STRIP, KILLING MORE THAN 200

Tue 18 March 2025:

Many women and children among more than 200 Palestinians killed in Israeli air attacks across the Gaza Strip, Gaza’s health ministry said.

Hamas said Israel carried out a “treacherous” attack on besieged and defenceless civilians in order to overturn the Gaza ceasefire deal. Palestinian Islamic Jihad accused Israel of “deliberately sabotaging” the ceasefire, which had been in place since January 19.

The strikes hit homes, residential buildings, schools sheltering displaced people and tents, resulting in a significant number of casualties, including women and children, especially since the attacks occurred during sleeping hours.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said at least 232 people were killed in today’s Israeli raids.

Shortly after the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office announced the resumption of the war on Gaza, stating it was intended to pressure Hamas into releasing captives.

As of now, artillery shelling continues east of Deir el-Balah, accompanied by the persistent presence of Israeli warplanes in the sky.

Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent in Gaza is reporting that Israeli tanks are shelling the eastern areas of the town of Abasan in Khan Younis, coinciding with intense gunfire.

“Netanyahu and his extremist government are making a decision to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate,” Hamas said in a statement posted on social media.

Israel consulted with President Trump before launching their latest attack on Gaza, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Israeli PM says will use ‘increasing military strength’ against Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the military to take “strong action” against Hamas in Gaza, blaming the group for refusing to release captives and not agreeing to Israel’s proposals on the ceasefire.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Hamas has for weeks accused Netanyahu of not being interested in bringing the fighting to an end in Gaza.

Israel’s ambassador to UN says strikes will continue until all captives released

Danny Dannon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, defended the brutal air strikes on Gaza in a post on X ahead of an upcoming Security Council meeting.

“The Israeli Air Force initiated a series of attacks against Hamas targets in Gaza. We will show no mercy on our enemies. Let me be very clear. Israel will not stop until all of our hostages are back home,” he said in a video alongside the post.

“We will make it very clear to the Security Council that if they want to stop the war in Gaza, they have to ensure that the hostages are coming back to Israel. We are committed to bring them back.”

The renewed war on Gaza comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis that has persisted for 16 days since March 12.

This follows Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to block the entry of all aid and goods and shut down the Strip’s border crossings at the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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