An injured Palestinian child arrives at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis [Abdallah F.S. Alattar/Anadolu]
At least 342 Palestinians dead as Israel resumes strikes
Gaza Strip, March 18, 2025 – A massive Israeli military assault rocked the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing at least 342 Innocent Palestinians and shattering a fragile two-month ceasefire with Hamas. The strikes hit multiple cities, including Khan Younis, Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, and Rafah, leaving hospitals overwhelmed and reigniting fears of all-out war. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that many of the victims were children, caught in the barrage of airstrikes that targeted crowded neighborhoods and makeshift shelters.
Deadly Strikes Tear Through Gaza
The Israeli military unleashed what it called “extensive strikes on terror targets” linked to Hamas, pounding residential areas, schools-turned-shelters, and apartment blocks across Gaza. In Khan Younis, a southern city, at least 77 people were killed in a single wave of attacks. Further north, Gaza City reported 20 deaths, while strikes also hammered Deir el-Balah in central Gaza and Rafah near the Egyptian border. Exact casualty numbers from these areas are still trickling in as rescue efforts continue.
Eyewitnesses painted a grim picture of the chaos. Ahmed Abu Rizq, a teacher in Gaza, told Al Jazeera, “We woke up to Israeli strikes everywhere. Our kids were screaming, and families started rushing to the hospital carrying their dead children in their arms.” Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum, on the ground in Deir el-Balah, said the strikes hit densely packed areas, killing newborns, women, and elderly residents alongside several senior Hamas officials.
Gaza’s already strained hospitals struggled to cope with the influx of wounded. Medics worked under flickering lights and dwindling supplies, racing to save lives amid the devastation.
Leaders Trade Blame as Tensions Soar
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the assault, saying he had ordered “strong action” against Hamas for refusing to release captives or extend the ceasefire. “Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military strength from now on,” his office declared in a statement. Defence Minister Israel Katz upped the ante, warning that the “gates of hell” would open if the remaining captives weren’t freed soon.
Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, fired back, calling the attacks a “unilateral cancellation” of the truce that began January 19, 2025. In a fiery statement, the group accused Netanyahu of “exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate” and urged Arab and Islamic nations, plus “free people worldwide,” to take to the streets in protest. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), another militant group in Gaza, piled on, claiming Israel was “deliberately sabotaging” ceasefire efforts.
The White House weighed in, confirming that Israel consulted U.S. President Donald Trump before launching the strikes. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered no further details but acknowledged the talks, hinting at America’s behind-the-scenes role in the escalating crisis.
A Ceasefire Crumbles
The Gaza Strip has been a flashpoint for decades, occupied by Israel since 1967 and governed by Hamas since 2007. The ceasefire that collapsed on Tuesday was brokered in January 2025 after months of grueling talks. Under its terms, Hamas freed about three dozen captives, while Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The deal was meant to pave the way for a second phase—freeing 60 more captives and locking in a permanent truce—but negotiations hit a wall in February.
Israel pushed to stretch the first phase until mid-April, a demand Hamas rejected. That standoff set the stage for Tuesday’s deadly escalation. The broader conflict has already claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives in the past 18 months, according to Gaza health officials, reducing much of the enclave to rubble and displacing hundreds of thousands.
What’s Next? War, Crisis, and a Stalled Peace
The assault has sparked warnings of a long, bloody fight ahead. Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, said Israeli analysts and officials—including the country’s new army chief of staff—have dubbed 2025 a “year of war.” That signals Israel’s intent to keep hammering Gaza until it achieves its goals, whatever the cost.
For Gaza’s civilians, the strikes deepen an already dire humanitarian crisis. The enclave has been choked by a years-long blockade, and repeated military campaigns have left its infrastructure in tatters. The Government Media Office in Gaza accused Israel of “brutal massacres” and a “premeditated plan to continue committing genocide,” pointing to the targeting of homes and civilian hubs.
Ceasefire talks, already on life support, now seem further out of reach. Hamas and PIJ say Israel’s actions prove it’s not serious about peace, while Israel insists Hamas forced its hand by holding onto captives. The U.S. and Arab nations could step in to mediate, but the road to a lasting deal looks steeper than ever.
A Region on the Brink
Tuesday’s assault has thrust Gaza back into the abyss, killing hundreds and shredding hopes of peace. With 342 Palestinians dead and counting, the human toll is staggering—and the violence shows no sign of slowing. The international community faces mounting pressure to act, but solutions remain elusive in a conflict that’s defied resolution for decades.
Amid the rubble and grief, Palestinians continue to demand justice and dignity, their resilience shining through even as the bombs fall. Whether that spirit can survive another round of war—and whether the world will finally deliver the peace they’ve long sought—hangs in the balance.
A Cry for Justice
Gaza bleeds under the weight of Israel’s relentless aggression, a brutal campaign that has claimed at least 342 lives—men, women, and children torn apart by airstrikes that leave nothing but rubble and despair in their wake. Entire families have been erased, their homes reduced to ashes, as parents mourn the lifeless bodies of their little ones. This is not a mere conflict; it is a calculated assault, a terrorist attack fueling the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, stripping them of their land, their lives, and their hope.
Yet, amid the chaos, the Palestinian spirit shines defiant. Their resilience is a powerful rebuke to decades of occupation, a cry that pierces through the silence of a world too often indifferent. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have decried Israel’s actions as a deliberate attempt to crush any chance of peace, pointing to shattered ceasefire talks as evidence of Israel’s thirst for domination. The international response—muted consultations between Israel and powers like the United States—offers little solace to a people pushed to the brink.
The toll of this violence is staggering: over 48,000 Palestinians dead in the broader conflict, millions displaced, and a humanitarian crisis spiraling out of control. Schools, hospitals, and dreams lie in ruins, yet Israel presses on, unmoved by the suffering it sows. Ceasefire negotiations, once a fragile lifeline, have collapsed, leaving Gaza to face an uncertain fate. But Palestine endures, its people clinging to their right to exist, their voices rising in a demand for justice that echoes far beyond their borders.
This is a call to humanity. The Palestinian struggle is not theirs alone—it is a test of our collective moral fiber. We cannot turn away as genocide unfolds before our eyes. Stand with Palestine, amplify their plea, and fight for a future where their children can live free from fear. The time for action is now.
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