Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Tuesday's renewed bombardment of Gaza was "only the beginning" after the fragile ceasefire was shattered and more than 400 Palestinians killed, according to local health officials.
All future ceasefire negotiations will take place "under fire", Mr Netanyahu said as he vowed to force Hamas to release all remaining hostages.
White House officials confirmed that Donald Trump was “consulted” before Israel’s pre-dawn attack, while an Israeli official told the Wall Street Journal that the US president “gave the green light” after Hamas failed to hand over hostages.
The families of those still held in Gaza expressed concern for their loved ones as a senior Hamas official described Israel's airstrikes as a "death sentence" for the remaining hostages.
Gaza's health ministry said at least 263 of those confirmed dead were women or children. A Unicef worker recalled seeing the bodies of “several dozen” children after the strikes. Several high-ranking officials, including the head of Hamas's civil administration Issam al-Daalis, are also among the dead, according to the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.
France joined several countries including Norway, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia in condemning the strikes.
Key Points
- Israeli strikes across Gaza ‘only the beginning’, says Netanyahu
- Death toll rises to 404 including many women and children, Gaza health authorities say
- Trump ‘gave green light’ to Israel before Gaza bombing
- Families of dead hostages condemn Israeli government decision to strike Gaza
- Several dozen children among the dead, says UNICEF worker
US launches strikes against Houthi strongholds in Yemen
08:36 , Alex CroftThe US launched strikes against the Yemeni Houthi rebels targeting strongholds where the group’s leaders are hiding, Houthi media reported on Wednesday.
Violence has once again erupted near the Red Sea after the Iran-aligned Houthis warned on March 12 they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels in response to Israel’s closure of Gaza’s crossings.
The US has not responded with more than 10 strikes on various locations, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported, including in the Al-Safra district in Saada, considered one of the group’s most vital and heavily fortified military strongholds.
Despite US pressure, the Houthis have refused to scale back attacks in the Red Sea which they say is on solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Following Israel’s major strikes on Gaza overnight on Tuesday, the Houthis said they would expand their targets in Israel in the coming hours and days unless the "aggression" against Gaza ceased.
In pictures: Palestinians mourn after major attack by Israel
08:21 , Alex Croft
Far-right politician Ben-Gvir returns to Israeli cabinet
08:05Far-right ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir has been reappointed as Israel’s minister of national security.
His return to the cabinet comes a day after Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on Gaza killing over 400 people, according to local health officials.
Mr Ben Gvir, who leads the far-right Jewish Power party, quit in January in protest at a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
“The government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to reappoint MK Itamar Ben Gvir to the position of Minister of National Security,” the PM’s office said in a statement.
British playwright embarks on 150-mile fasting pilgrimage for Palestine
07:52 , Namita SinghA British playwright has embarked on a 150-mile fasting pilgrimage to raise funds for schoolchildren in Gaza and to stand up against Islamophobia.
Peter Oswald, a former writer in residence at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, set off from Bristol on Tuesday and will finish his 13-day journey in Parliament Square in London at the end of March.
The 59-year-old from Devon will also fast from dawn to dusk, marking the holy month of Ramadan in solidarity with the Palestinian people and the global Muslim community as part of his “Pilgrimage4Palestine”.
Report:
British playwright embarks on 150-mile fasting pilgrimage for Palestine
Palestinians ordered to evacuate eastern Gaza again
07:48 , Namita SinghNew Israeli evacuation orders have been issued covering Gaza's eastern flank next to Israel and stretching into a key corridor dividing Gaza's north and south.
Israel's Arabic-language military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, published a map on X telling Palestinians in those areas, including some highly-populated neighbourhoods, to leave immediately and head for shelters.
"Continuing to remain in the designated areas puts your life and the lives of your family members at risk," he said.
The evacuation zone appeared to include parts of Gaza's main north-south road, raising questions about how people might travel. Palestinians nevertheless gathered their belongings and set out, hardly knowing where to go.
" width="500">Unicef spokesperson Rosalia Bollen recalled that the days before the bombardment felt uneasy. She could sense fear. Children would ask if she believed the war would start again.
"This nightmare scenario has been on everyone's mind," she said.
"It's just heartbreaking that it is materialising right now and that it is shattering the last piece of hope that people had."
Doctors in Palestine forced to operate without light bulbs
07:33 , Namita SinghMedical staff at the Al-Attar clinic in Muwasi in southern Gaza said they were forced to operate without light bulbs and emergency ventilation devices.
Israel not only blocked all supplies from entering Gaza two weeks ago but also cut off electricity to the territory's main desalination plant last week. That has again created scarcities in medicine, food, fuel and fresh water for Gaza's over two million people.
Dr Ismail Awad with the Doctors Without Borders aid group said the clinic received about 26 wounded people, including a woman seven months pregnant with shrapnel in her neck.
She later died."It was overwhelming, the number of patients," Dr Awad said.
In bombing Gaza, Netanyahu has chosen domestic politics over hostages
07:21 , Namita SinghIsrael’s overnight bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 400 people, shattering hopes of long-term peace and the return of Israel’s hostages, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew.
In bombing Gaza, Netanyahu has chosen domestic politics over hostages
Hospitals 'felt like Armageddon'
07:20 , Namita SinghScenes at hospitals in Gaza recalled the early days of the war, when Israel launched a massive bombardment of Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.
Survivors on Tuesday held rushed funeral rites over dozens of body bags lining the yard of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Mothers sobbed over the bloodied bodies of children, as warplanes hummed overhead. Doctors struggled to treat the flow of wounded.
"A level of horror and evil that is really hard to articulate. It felt like Armageddon," said Dr Tanya-Haj Hassan, a volunteer with the Medical Aid for Palestinians aid group.
She described the Nasser Hospital emergency room in Khan Younis as chaos, with patients, including children, spread across the floor. Some were still wrapped in the blankets they had slept in.
‘My children died while they were hungry’
07:17Fedaa Heriz, a displaced woman in Gaza City, said victims of Israeli attack were killed in their sleep just before the predawn meal ahead of the daily Ramadan fast.
"They set the alarm to wake up for suhoor, and they wake up to death? They don't wake up?" she screamed.
Fedaa Hamdan lost her husband and their two children in the strikes in Khan Younis.
"My children died while they were hungry," she said, as funeral prayers were held over their bodies.
Israel's surprise bombardment plunged Palestinians back into 'hell'
06:52 , Namita SinghThe Israeli bombs began falling before dawn, lighting the sky with orange flares and shattering the stillness.
The surprise wave of airstrikes plunged Palestinians back into a nightmare they had hoped might be behind them.
The bombs crashed across Gaza early Tuesday, setting fire to a sprawling tent camp in the southern city of Khan Younis and flattening a Hamas-run prison. They hit the Al-Tabaeen shelter in Gaza City, where Majid Nasser was sleeping with his family.
"I went out to see where the bombing was. Suddenly the second strike happened in the room next to us," he said.
"I heard screaming, my mother and sister screaming, calling for help. I came and entered the room and found the children under the rubble." Everyone was injured, but alive.
Palestinians tried to claw bodies from the wreckage with their bare hands. Parents arrived at hospitals, barefoot, carrying children who were limp and covered in ash. Streets and hospitals filled with bodies.
By midday, over 400 people had been killed, said local health officials. It was one of the deadliest days of the 17-month war, following two months of ceasefire. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan had even provided moments of joy as families held communal sunset meals ending each day's fast without the fear of bombardment.
"What is happening to us is hell. Hell in every sense of the word," said Zeyad Abed, as he stood among the blackened remains of tents in Khan Younis.
Why has Israel launched dozens of strikes on Gaza?
06:37 , Namita SinghIsrael’s military has launched dozens of strikes on targets across the Gaza Strip, shattering a ceasefire with Hamas.
Health officials in the Hamas-run strip said more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, which hit densely populated areas. In Rafah, in southern Gaza, 17 members of a single family were killed, including women and children.
The Israeli military said in a statement: “This preemptive offensive will continue as long as necessary, and will expand beyond air strikes.”
Here’s what we know about the strikes, and what could happen next.
Why has Israel launched strikes on Gaza – and what happens now over the ceasefire?
UN Secretary General condemns ‘intolerable level of suffering’ for Palestinians
06:30 , Namita SinghAs the UN Security Council met to discuss Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strikes on Palestinians.
"Unfortunately, we are witnessing a situation in which we have an intolerable level of suffering for the Palestinian people, with the air raids that killed hundreds of people," he told reporters in Geneva.
“We have humanitarian aid still blocked,” he said.
He demanded international community to press Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to follow three “essential” points.
"First, for the ceasefire to be fully respected. Second, for humanitarian aid to have access to Gaza in an unimpeded way. And third, for the unconditional release of hostages," said Mr Guterres."And we will not give up on these objectives."
What has happened to the Israel-Gaza ceasefire?
06:27 , Namita SinghIsrael launched dozens of attacks on targets across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, bringing the relative calm of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to an abrupt end.
More than 400 Palestinians across Gaza have been killed, including women and children, according to health officials.Israel says the operation is open-ended and expected to expand, raising fears of the 17-month-old war reigniting, report David Rising and Tia Goldenberg.
Trump ‘gave green light’ to Israel before Gaza bombing
06:11 , Namita SinghPresident Donald Trump “gave the green light” for Israel to begin an onslaught on the Gaza Strip that killed at least 400 people early on Tuesday, according to a report.
The president gave Israel the go-ahead after Hamas failed to hand over the hostages, an Israeli official told theWall Street Journal.
Israel then gave the Trump administration a “heads up” before it carried out the attack, according to the outlet.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Mr Trump was “consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza,” she told Sean Hannity on Fox News.
“As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” Ms Leavitt said.
Her words echoed Mr Trump’s warning at the weekend that he would “let hell break out” if Hamas failed to release all the hostages.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said Hamas “could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”
Earlier, US envoy Steve Witkoff – who was leading mediation efforts – had demanded Hamas release the remaining live hostages “or pay a severe price”.
Several dozen children killed in 'tough' night, says UNICEF staffer
06:01 , Alex CroftA United Nations worker in the Gaza Strip says she has seen “at least several dozen children killed” in what was a “very tough night” as Israel resumed heavy strikes on the enclave.
Rosalia Bollen, a communications specialist with the UN children's agency, said she woke up around 2 a.m. on Tuesday to "very loud explosions”.
The UNICEF base near the southern city of Rafah "was shaking very heavily”, Ms Bollen said, before she heard "people yelling, people screaming and ambulances” after the strikes subsided.
"The bombardments have continued throughout the night," though at a lower intensity than the initial barrage, she said.
"The whole night, there's been just the constant buzzing of drones and planes flying over."
She said the strikes hit tents and structures housing displaced families.
Families of dead hostages condemn Israeli government decision to strike Gaza
05:35 , Namita SinghSome families who already know their relatives in Gaza are dead have criticised the Israeli government's decision to resume airstrikes.
"This is not only a disaster in every way, shape or form on how the hostages keep suffering, being chained to walls, starved, abused, but also the death toll that keeps rising on the Gazan side," Udi Goren said.
His cousin Tal Haimi was killed on 7 October and his body was taken into Gaza. Mr Goren said the international community must pressure Hamas, Israel and the mediators – the United States, Egypt and Qatar – to end the war.
"Returning to fighting? Did you listen to a word of what we, the returnees released in the last deal, have been saying to you?" former hostage Omer Wenkert wrote on Instagram.
Romi Gonen, among the first hostages to be freed in the ceasefire's first phase, said she would never forget what it felt like in captivity to hear the bombs after previous ceasefire talks collapsed and realise she wouldn't be freed any time soon.
"I beg you, the people of Israel, we must continue to fight for them," she said on Instagram.
Sylvia Cunio, whose two sons are held hostage, accused Israel's leaders of not having a heart.
"It isn't right to continue the fighting. I want my children back home already. If he wants to kill me, the prime minister, let him do that already because I won't get through this," she said on local radio.
Kins of hostages in Gaza are terrified they won’t return after Israel resumes fighting
05:12 , Namita SinghWhen a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began two months ago, Herut Nimrodi knew it would take time before her son was released from captivity in Gaza.
The 20-year-old soldier was meant to be part of the second phase of the deal winding down the war.
But with Israel's surprise bombardment of Gaza, she fears he might not come home at all.
"I really wanted to believe that there is still a chance to reach a second stage without renewing this war. But it feels like my building of hope has collapsed, and I have no idea what to do next," Ms Nimrodi told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
During the ceasefire's first phase, which began in January, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. But since that phase ended early this month, the sides have not been able to agree on a way forward.
Israel's renewed airstrikes threaten to end the fragile deal.
Ms Nimrodi's son, Tamir, was abducted from his army base when Hamas stormed into Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage. She's had no sign of life. He hasn't been declared dead by Israel.
The strikes early on Tuesday killed more than 400 people and shattered a relative calm — along with hopes of ending the war that has killed over 48,000 Palestinians.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the airstrikes because of lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire.
The return to fighting could deepen the painful debate in Israel over the fate of the remaining hostages.
"It's so sad that this is the only solution that they could find," she said, lamenting the government's decision.
Former hostage expresses fears for captives held in Gaza after ceasefire collapses
05:00 , Andy GregoryThe Associated Press reports that former hostages have expressed “horror” at the collapse of the ceasefire and urged the Israeli government to return to the negotiating table.
Israeli-American former hostage Keith Siegel told the news agency that his Hamas captors became violent after the first ceasefire collapsed in November 2023 and fighting resumed.
He said: “Today, a year and four months later, the ceasefire has collapsed again. I think of the 59 hostages still being held in Gaza. How afraid they are, not only of the terrorists’ cruelty and of Israeli attacks, but also of the collapse of the negotiations that will prevent their return home.”
Fresh US strikes target Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen – report
04:50 , Namita SinghAt least 10 US strikes targeted areas in Yemen, including Saada province and Hodeidah, controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, local media reported early on Wednesday.
The US launched a wave of strikes against the Houthis at the weekend, who said last week they were resuming attacks on Red Sea shipping to support Palestinians in Gaza.
Houthi missiles were also launched towards Israel on Tuesday after the Israeli military's pre-dawn bombardment of Gaza.
Houthi forces detected hostile military movements in the Red Sea in preparation for launching a large-scale air attack on the country, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Wednesday.
Mr Sarea said, without offering evidence, that Houthis targeted the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman and other warships with missiles and drones, thwarting the US attack.
Released hostages and Israeli demonstrators call on the government to resume negotiations
04:00 , Andy GregoryThousands of Israelis packed a Tel Aviv square to protest Netanyahu's intention to fire the country's domestic security chief and to call on the government to resume negotiations for a hostage deal.
The Shin Bet security chief, Ronen Bar, has been a key player in ceasefire talks but was recently replaced by a Netanyahu confidant.
Mr Netanyahu now wants to fire Mr Bar, saying he has lost trust in him. Demonstrators say the dismissal is a power grab by Netanyahu.
Many also said the resumption of fighting in Gaza endangers the hostages still held there. “Today Netanyahu did not open the gates of hell on Hamas. He opened the gates of hell on our loved ones,” said Einav Zangauker, whose son is among the hostages.
Houthi rebels strike Israel as Hamas appears to exercise restraint
03:58There were no reports of any attacks by Hamas as of Wednesday morning, some 24 hours after the Israeli bombardment began.
But Yemen's Houthi rebels fired rockets toward Israel for the first time since the ceasefire was agreed in January.
The volley set off sirens in Israel's southern Negev desert but was intercepted before it reached the country's territory, the military said.
The US over the weekend launched deadly strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis, and threatened to carry out more if the group continued to target Red Sea shipping lanes with rockets.
Gaza strikes ‘death sentence’ for hostages
03:38 , Namita SinghThe White House-approved Israeli strikes on Gaza have raised concerns about the fate of the roughly two dozen hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive.
A senior Hamas official said Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to return to war amounts to a "death sentence" for the remaining hostages.
Families of those still held in Gaza expressed concern for their loved ones.
"We are shocked, angry, and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas," the Hostages Families Forum said.
Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq accused Netanyahu of launching the strikes to save his right-wing governing coalition.
Different factions of the government had been at odds over what a second ceasefire phase would mean for the future of Gaza.
‘In every room I found the dead’
03:14 , Namita SinghThe pre-dawn barrage across Gaza shattered the fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January, killing over 400 people according to local health officials in the Hamas-run strip.
It struck homes and shelters and set a tent camp ablaze as families slept or prepared the "sohour," the meal Muslims eat before they start the daily fast in the holy month of Ramadan.
In Gaza City, Omar Greygaa said that after the strikes, he ran out to help survivors in a nearby stricken building.
"In every room I found the dead. ... I finish in one place and go to another, and I find more dead," he said. "I don't know if we're in a state of war or truce."
The attack could signal the full resumption of a war that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.
Renewed Israeli strikes come after Trump warned of ‘all hell breaking out’, White House says
03:01 , Andy GregoryWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump was “consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza,” she told Sean Hannity on Fox News.
“As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” Leavitt said.
Her words echoed Trump’s warning at the weekend that he would “let hell break out” if Hamas failed to release all the hostages.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said Hamas “could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”
Earlier, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff – who was leading mediation efforts – had demanded Hamas release the remaining live hostages “or pay a severe price.” Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz warned that the “gates of hell will open in Gaza” if the hostages were not returned.
Israeli strikes across Gaza ‘only the beginning’, says Netanyahu
02:55 , Namita SinghIsraeli airstrikes across Gaza that killed more than 400 Palestinians were “only the beginning” said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he vowed to force Hamas to release all hostages.
Hamas said at least six senior officials were killed in Tuesday's strikes. Israel said they included the head of Hamas's civilian government, a justice ministry official and two security agency chiefs.
All further ceasefire negotiations will take place "under fire", Mr Netanyahu said in a statement aired on national television. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel's actions.
The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza and head toward the centre of the territory, indicating that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations.
The new campaign comes as aid groups warn supplies are running out two weeks after Israel cut off all food, medicine, fuel and other goods to Gaza's two million Palestinians.
UAE condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza
02:00 , Andy GregoryThe United Arab Emirates has condemned Israel’s renewed strikes on Gaza and warned about the repercussions of military escalation, state news agency WAM reported.
Netanyahu thanks Trump for his ‘unwavering support’
01:00 , Andy GregoryAfter ordering renewed strikes on Gaza in which hundreds of people have been killed, Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US president Donald Trump for his “unwavering support”.
In broadcast remarks, the Israeli PM said: “I thank President Trump for his unwavering support for Israel. Our alliance with the United States has never been stronger.
“To those who criticise Israel, I ask, what would you do if terrorists murdered and kidnapped your children?Y ou would do what we are doing.In the face of pure evil, free societies have no choice but to fight.
“So, I want to assure all our friends around the world, Israel will fight and Israel will win. We will bring our people home and we will destroy Hamas. We will not relent until we achieve all these vital goals and we will not rest until we give our country a future of peace, prosperity and hope.”
Israel's surprise bombardment plunged Palestinians back into 'hell'
00:00 , Alex CroftThe Israeli bombs began falling before dawn, lighting the sky with orange flares and shattering the stillness.
The surprise wave of airstrikes plunged Palestinians back into a nightmare they had hoped might be behind them.
The bombs crashed across Gaza early Tuesday, setting fire to a sprawling tent camp in the southern city of Khan Younis and flattening a Hamas-run prison. They hit the Al-Tabaeen shelter in Gaza City, where Majid Nasser was sleeping with his family.
“I went out to see where the bombing was. Suddenly the second strike happened in the room next to us,” he said. “I heard screaming, my mother and sister screaming, calling for help. I came and entered the room and found the children under the rubble.” Everyone was injured, but alive.
Read the full report:
Israel's surprise bombardment plunged Palestinians back into 'hell'
China and Russia UN envoys condemn strikes
Tuesday 18 March 2025 23:29 , Alex CroftChina and Russia’s envoys to the UN have spoken out against Israel’s strikes on Gaza.
Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzya said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has become “truly biblical in nature”, calling on Israel to immediately lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
Chinese envoy Fu Cong strongly condemned the strikes, and echoed the need to restore humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Multiple UN figures, France, Norway, and a number of the Arab states have also joined in condemning Israel’s strikes.
Why has Israel launched dozens of strikes on Gaza – and what happens now over the ceasefire?
Tuesday 18 March 2025 23:01 , Alex CroftIsrael’s military has launched dozens of strikes on targets across the Gaza Strip, shattering a ceasefire with Hamas.
Health officials in the Hamas-run strip said more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, which hit densely populated areas. In Rafah, in southern Gaza, 17 members of a single family were killed, including women and children.
The Israeli military said in a statement: “This preemptive offensive will continue as long as necessary, and will expand beyond air strikes.”
Rachel Clun explains everything we know about the strikes, and what could happen next.
Why has Israel launched strikes on Gaza – and what happens now over the ceasefire?
'It was a night of hell... we thought the war was over'
Tuesday 18 March 2025 22:33 , Alex CroftFor Palestinian mother-of-five Rabiha Jamal, a life of fearing each minute for the safety of her children returned overnight.
"It was a night of hell. It felt like the first days of the war," said Ms Jamal, 65, from Gaza City.
"We were preparing to have something to eat before starting a new day of fasting when the building shook and explosions began. We thought it was over but war is back," she told Reuters.
More than 400 Palestinians, including many women and children, have been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past day. The Israeli military has vowed to go further than air attacks and has ordered thousands of Palestinians near Gaza’s border with Israel to evacuate.
MSF: Hospitals struggling to cope after ‘absolutely terrifying’ Israeli attacks
Tuesday 18 March 2025 22:01 , Alex CroftChief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
Hospitals in Gaza have become desperately overwhelmed after an “absolutely terrifying” night of Israeli attacks, the head of emergencies at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has told The Independent.
Claire Nicolet, who is in Gaza, was woken last night by the “sounds of bombing, heavy bombing, it was absolutely terrifying”.
MSF teams are struggling without the knowledge of whether they can safely move around the Gaza strip, Ms Nicolet added, and the situation is “complicated for hospitals” which are “very overwhelmed”.
She added: “There is very poor access to health care, very poor access to shelter as everything is destroyed.
“The population here is completely afraid. Of course, they saw that this is a full restart of the fighting and they are very scared of what’s next.
“Unfortunately, we also understood that the medical evacuation has stopped for now, which means that normally every day there are a few patients that are going outside [through] Rafah [border crossing with Egypt].
“This will not happen today and we don’t know how it will continue.”
Hamas: Talks with negotiators are ongoing
Tuesday 18 March 2025 21:30 , Alex CroftHamas said on Tuesday that communication with mediators and negotiators is ongoing, as Israel scales up its attacks on the Gaza strip.
The Palestinian militant group says it is keen to implement the next phase of the ceasefire deal, which has stalled after the two sides failed to agree an extension to the truce agreed in January.
Analysis| In bombing Gaza, Netanyahu has chosen domestic politics over hostages
Tuesday 18 March 2025 21:01 , Alex CroftChief international correspondent Bel Trew writes:
In the early hours of Tuesday, families in Gaza were shaken awake by the return of ferocious bombardment from the air and land. The tense calm of a fragile ceasefire – brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt and in place since January – had been shattered.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the renewed offensive, vowing that Israel will “from now on act against Hamas with increasing military strength”, blaming the group for its “repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals”.
It comes just two weeks after he ordered Israel to cut off all food, medicine, fuel, electricity, and other supplies to Gaza’s two million people to try and put pressure on Hamas to accept a new deal.
Mr Netanyahu has seemingly refused to bow to pressure from the families of the hostages to continue the truce and bring their loved ones home.
In bombing Gaza, Netanyahu has chosen domestic politics over hostages
Israeli jets target ex-Syrian army outposts in Homs, security sources say
Tuesday 18 March 2025 20:28 , Andy GregoryIsraeli jets have targeted former Syrian army outposts in the central Homs province, Reuters is reporting, citing two security sources.
Houthis: We are at war with the US
Tuesday 18 March 2025 20:01 , Alex CroftYemen’s Houthi rebel group has said it is “at war with the US” and vowed not to "dial down" their action against Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.
The comments, made to Reuters news agency by the group’s foreign minister Jaml Amer, came after the US launched a wave of strikes in parts of Yemen controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis, who said they would resume attacks on Red Sea shipping to support Palestinians in Gaza.
"There will be no talk of any dialling down of operations before ending the aid blockade in Gaza. Iran is not interfering in our decision but what is happening is that it mediates sometimes but it cannot dictate things," Mr Amer said, in his first comments on the issue to a foreign news agency.
Netanyahu says Hamas to blame for every civilian casualty after ordering mass strikes
Tuesday 18 March 2025 19:44 , Andy GregoryIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that “every civilian casualty is the fault of Hamas” after he ordered a renewed assault on Gaza said to have killed more than 400 people.
After bringing a catastrophic end to a shaky two-month ceasefire, Mr Netanyahu said: “Hamas is responsible for this war. It invaded our towns, murdered our people, raped our women and kidnapped our loved ones. Hamas refused offer after offer to release our hostages.
“In the past two weeks, Israel did not initiate any military action in the hope that Hamas would change course. Well, that didn’t happen. While Israel accepted the offer of President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Hamas flatly refused to do so.
“This is why I authorised yesterday the renewal of military action against Hamas. Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists. And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they are the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties.
Telling Gazans to “get out of harm’s way” and “move to safer areas”, he added: “Because every civilian casualty is a tragedy and every civilian casualty is the fault of Hamas.”
Trump gave ‘green light’ to Israel before Gaza bombing that left ‘400 dead,’ report says
Tuesday 18 March 2025 19:30 , Alex CroftPresident Donald Trump “gave the green light” for Israel to begin an onslaught on the Gaza Strip that killed at least 400 people early Tuesday, according to a report.
The latest Israeli airstrikes have been described by officials as the most intense attack since the agreed ceasefire came into effect in January.
The president gave Israel the go-ahead after Hamas failed to hand over the hostages, an Israeli official told the Wall Street Journal. Israel then gave the Trump administration a “heads up” before it carried out the attack, according to the outlet.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump was “consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza,” she told Sean Hannity on Fox News.
Namita Singh and Rhian Lubin report:
Trump gave ‘green light’ to Israel before Gaza bombing that left ‘400 dead’: report
Netanyahu warns strikes which killed 400 people are ‘only the beginning’
Tuesday 18 March 2025 19:27 , Andy GregoryIsrael’s latest attacks on Gaza – alleged to have killed more than 400 people today – are “only the beginning”, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned.
Mr Netanyahu ordered the strikes, which are reported to have killed mostly women and children, after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement.
In a statement on national television, he said the attack was “only the beginning” and that Israel would press ahead until it achieves all of its war aims, destroying Hamas and freeing all hostages held by the militant group.
All further ceasefire negotiations will take place “under fire”, he said.
More former Israeli hostages condemn strikes on Gaza
Tuesday 18 March 2025 19:00 , Alex CroftIn stories on Instagram shared by Israeli media, several Israelis released from Hamas captivity in the first phase of the recent ceasefire have made desperate appeals to the government to prioritize the release of the hostages and resume negotiations.
"Returning to fighting? Did you listen to a word of what we, the returnees released in the last deal, have been saying to you? Do you see us?!" wrote former hostage Omer Wenkert. He added that "the sense of being forsaken is the strongest I have ever felt."
Romi Gonen, who was among the first hostages freed in the last ceasefire, said she "will never forget the moment in captivity when I heard the booms after the (first) deal collapsed and realized I would not be freed anytime soon." She wrote, "I beg you, the people of Israel, we must continue to fight for them. And the government of Israel - get them out! This is the most urgent thing."
In pictures: Ravaged Gaza strip endures more death and destruction
Tuesday 18 March 2025 18:31 , Alex Croft
Lebanon's Hezbollah condemns resumption of Israeli strikes on Gaza
Tuesday 18 March 2025 18:01 , Alex CroftLebanese militant group Hezbollah says Israel is attacking Gaza with the Trump administration's backing because neither country respects the agreements they make.
Hezbollah's statement urged the international community to move quickly "to stop this crime."
The Lebanese group says Israel couldn't break the will of the Palestinian "resistance" during 15 months of war, and that the Palestinian people won't be displaced from their land by the fresh wave of strikes.
A fragile ceasefire last year has halted Hezbollah's 14-month war with Israel in support of the Palestinians.
UN says Israeli attacks are erasing humanitarian progress in Gaza
Tuesday 18 March 2025 17:29 , Alex CroftAll of the "modest gains" made during the Israel-Hamas ceasefire have been destroyed after Israel launched surprise airstrikes, the United Nations' humanitarian chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.
"Overnight, our worst fears materialized after strikes resumed across the entire Gaza Strip," Tom Fletcher said in a briefing to the UN's highest body.
He added that the international community "must not and cannot" go back to pre-ceasefire conditions.
The monthlong ceasefire brought some food, shelter and medical relief to Gaza and allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to what remained of their homes.
Emboldened by Trump, does Netanyahu really believe the best way to cling to power is endless war with Gaza?
Tuesday 18 March 2025 17:00 , Alex CroftConscious of the need not to infuriate unnecessarily Benjamin Netanyahu – on whom the fate of the 59 Israelis still held in Gaza depends – the country’s Hostage and Missing Families’ Forum usually tries to weigh its words with care. But the Forum’s reaction to his government’s unilateral resumption of the war in the early hours of Tuesday was unequivocal, accusing it of having “chosen to give up on the hostages”.
This reflects the double agony of the hostages’ families. They fear that the renewed bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces will inevitably endanger the lives of the survivors in Hamas’s hands, as well as, once again, those of Palestinians, whose latest death toll had already reached over 400 by mid-morning on Tuesday, on top of more than 48,000 in 15 months of war.
Donald Macintyre, former Jerusalem Bureau Chief with The Independent, writes:
Does Netanyahu think endless war in Gaza will help him cling to power?
Former Israeli hostage calls for ceasefire
Tuesday 18 March 2025 16:31 , Alex CroftFormer hostages and the families of some still held in Gaza have expressed outrage over the resumption of war.
Released hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons were slain in captivity, said on Facebook: "Israel's decision to return to fighting brings me back to Gaza, to the moments where I heard the sounds of explosions around me and where I feared for my life as I was afraid that the tunnel where I was being held would collapse... Military pressure endangers hostages, an agreement brings them back."
British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari also condemned the resumption of hostilities, saying she was “crushed”.
Eliya Cohen, whose brother Alon is being held in Gaza, said: “The lack of understanding in our country about what is taking place 50 meters underground.
“If there is any understanding, then how to explain this abandonment and lack of attention to human life?”
Responsibility for resumption of violence lies with Hamas, says US
Tuesday 18 March 2025 16:01 , Alex CroftResponsibility for Israel’s redumed attack on Gaza lies solely with Hamas and the United States supports Israel in its next steps, the acting US ambassador to the United Nations said on Tuesday.
Dorothy Shea made the statement to a United Nations Security Council briefing after Palestinian health authorities said Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza and killed more than 400 people, ending weeks of relative calm after talks to secure a permanent ceasefire stalled.
'It was a night of hell... we thought the war was over'
Tuesday 18 March 2025 15:27 , Alex CroftFor Palestinian mother-of-five Rabiha Jamal, a life of fearing each minute for the safety of her children returned overnight.
"It was a night of hell. It felt like the first days of the war," said Ms Jamal, 65, from Gaza City.
"We were preparing to have something to eat before starting a new day of fasting when the building shook and explosions began. We thought it was over but war is back," she told Reuters.
More than 400 Palestinians, including many women and children, have been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past day. The Israeli military has vowed to go further than air attacks and has ordered thousands of Palestinians near Gaza’s border with Israel to evacuate.
MSF: Hospitals struggling to cope after ‘absolutely terrifying’ Israeli attacks
Tuesday 18 March 2025 15:12 , Bel Trew, Chief International CorrespondentChief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
Hospitals in Gaza have become desperately overwhelmed after an “absolutely terrifying” night of Israeli attacks, the head of emergencies at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has told The Independent.
Claire Nicolet, who is in Gaza, was woken last night by the “sounds of bombing, heavy bombing, it was absolutely terrifying”.
MSF teams are struggling without the knowledge of whether they can safely move around the Gaza strip, Ms Nicolet added, and the situation is “complicated for hospitals” which are “very overwhelmed”.
She added: “There is very poor access to health care, very poor access to shelter as everything is destroyed.
“The population here is completely afraid. Of course, they saw that this is a full restart of the fighting and they are very scared of what’s next.
“Unfortunately, we also understood that the medical evacuation has stopped for now, which means that normally every day there are a few patients that are going outside [through] Rafah [border crossing with Egypt].
“This will not happen today and we don’t know how it will continue.”
Palesitinian Islamic Jihad spokesperson killed in Israeli strikes, sources say
Tuesday 18 March 2025 14:52 , Alex CroftThe spokesperson of the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad group in Gaza was killed in an Israeli airstrike, along with his wife and several members of his family, sources associated with the group told Reuters.
Naji Abu Saif, better known as Abu Hamza, was killed in an airstrike that targeted his house in central Gaza, the sources added.
Freed British-Israeli hostage says she is 'crushed' by resumption of fighting
Tuesday 18 March 2025 14:39 , Alex CroftFreed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari says her "heart is broken, crushed and disappointed" by the resumption of fighting in Gaza.
In a story on Instagram shared by Israeli media, she said she would keep fighting for the remaining hostages.
France condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza
Tuesday 18 March 2025 14:23 , Alex CroftFrance has joined the numerous countries to condemn Israeli strikes on Gaza, following in the wake of Egypt, Norway, Qatar, the UN and others.
The French Foreign Affairs Ministry called for an immediate halt to the violence, it said in a statement, adding that Israel must do all it can to ensure the protection of civilians and re-establish water and electricity.
Hamas: Talks with negotiators are ongoing
Tuesday 18 March 2025 13:50 , Alex CroftHamas has said that communication with mediators and negotiators is ongoing, as Israel scales up its attacks on the Gaza strip.
The Palestinian militant group says it is keen to implement the next phase of the ceasefire deal, which has stalled after the two sides failed to agree an extension to the truce agreed in January.
Half of the dead are children, health official tells The Independent
Tuesday 18 March 2025 13:33 , Alex CroftChief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
Dr. Muhammad Abuafash, director of Palestinian Medical Relief in North Gaza who had been in al-Ahly hospital in Gaza city Tuesday morning, said emergency workers were still pulling the wounded and the dead out from under the rubble.
He told The Independent that so far, half of the dead were children, and most of the injuries were among minors.
“We’re talking about large numbers of children with severed limbs,” he added saying that there were so wounded that medics couldn’t even prioritise who to treat.
“There are not enough medical facilities and supplies, nor are there enough medical personnel. They deal with injuries without preference, unfortunately. Large numbers of wounded people are just lying on the ground,” he said.
“My message to the international community: How long will Israel remain above international law and human rights, destroying trees and stones, and killing children and women?”
Meanwhile, families in the heavily hit north of Gaza—who had only recently returned to their bombed-out homes since the start of the ceasefire—said they had packed their bags, ready to flee south again.
The Israeli military issued “evacuation” orders again on Tuesday, urging civilians in areas including Beit Hanoun to move west or south.
“The gunfire and bullets are heavy. We can hear the sound of tanks clearly,” said one resident.
