Israeli forces resume Gaza ground operations after airstrikes shattered ceasefire, killed hundreds

CAIRO – 20 March 2025: The Israeli military announced on Wednesday the resumption of ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, extending to the Netzarim Corridor that bisects Gaza.

The renewed operations follow waves of Israeli airstrikes that have battered Gaza over the past 48 hours, killing hundreds of individuals across the enclave, the majority of whom are women and children.

According to the Gaza health ministry, 506 people have been killed, including 200 children and 112 women, over the past 48 hours, bringing the total death toll since the start of the Israeli war in October 2023 to over 49,600.

On Wednesday, Israeli attacks also struck a UN site in central Gaza City, killing a foreign staff member and injuring five other foreign workers, according to the ministry.

An Israeli airstrike on a United Nations headquarters in central Gaza City on Wednesday killed a foreign national and injured five other foreign UN workers, according to the Gaza health ministry.#Egypt #Palestine #MiddleEast #Israel #GAZA | #تحيا_مصر #مصر #فلسطين #إسرائيل #غزة… pic.twitter.com/3dIlP9rH31

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 20, 2025

Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services, stated, “Israel knew that this was a UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation, noting that at least 280 UN workers have been killed since the war began in Gaza.

DIVIDING GAZA

The Israeli army indicated that the new ground operations aim to establish a partial buffer zone between the northern and southern parts of Gaza.

Hamas condemned these moves, holding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fully responsible for the repercussions of the ground incursion into the Netzarim Corridor.

The Palestinian movement warned that this action constitutes “a new and dangerous violation of the signed ceasefire agreement.”

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement Tuesday expressing Egypt's strongest condemnation of the Israeli airstrikes that targeted Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/qEqoDgu5Fd

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 19, 2025

On Tuesday, Israel shattered a ceasefire with Hamas that had been in place since January 19, resuming airstrikes and interrupting ongoing negotiations regarding the future of the agreement.

Under the first phase of the agreement, which expired on March 1, Hamas released 30 living captives and the bodies of eight of the deceased in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas expressed readiness to free all remaining captives in one go if Israel agrees to end the war, as stipulated by the second phase of the agreement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.

However, Israel has avoided transitioning to this phase, opting instead to call for an extension of the expired first phase to facilitate the release of additional captives in exchange for continued delivery of aid into Gaza without the obligation to end the war.

Hamas stated it will not release more captives except under the second phase, leading Israel to cut humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which is facing alarming levels of hunger, as well as to cut off power supply to the enclave.

Israel announced early Tuesday the resumption of “extensive strikes” on Gaza, reportedly killing dozens within the first hour#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/RA7AdFunUv

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 19, 2025

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a "last warning" to Gaza on Wednesday, demanding the return of the remaining hostages or facing “total destruction and devastation.”

Hamas still holds 59 captives in Gaza, including at least 22 believed to be alive.

In remarks on Tuesday evening, Netanyahu asserted that Israeli forces will strike Hamas with "increasing force," stating that future ceasefire talks, facilitated by mediators, will "only take place under fire."

Hamas said the recent Israeli strikes have overturned the ceasefire agreement, blaming Washington for the “massacres and killings of women and children in Gaza” due to the US's “unlimited political and military support” for the Israeli government.

The US State Department blamed the resumption of war in Gaza on Hamas, highlighting a US-crafted “bridge” proposal for a ceasefire extension in exchange for the return of captives.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a Fox News interview that Israel consulted President Donald Trump’s administration before launching the airstrikes on Gaza.

“As President Trump has made clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, and all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” she remarked.