Israel resumes large-scale airstrikes across Gaza Strip

Israel resumed large-scale airstrikes across the Gaza Strip before dawn on 18 March 2025, ending the period of relative calm created by the January ceasefire. Palestinian health authorities reported hundreds killed, including civilians, while Israel said it struck Hamas targets and commanders.

The first phase of the agreement had expired without a negotiated transition to a permanent ceasefire. Israel demanded additional hostage releases under an extension proposal, while Hamas sought implementation of the original second-phase talks. Mediators had not resolved the dispute.

Israel said renewed force was intended to pressure Hamas and had US support. Hamas accused Israel of overturning the ceasefire. Neither position removes obligations to protect civilians, and casualty status and military target claims require incident-level evidence.

Restrictions on aid had already intensified humanitarian conditions. Strikes affected homes, shelters and officials in Gaza's administration. Membership in a civil department does not automatically establish direct participation in hostilities, making target identification legally important.

This record marks the return to major bombardment, not every strike or the later ground campaign. It distinguishes failure to advance the ceasefire from a formally agreed permanent peace that never existed. The chronology preserves both the implemented pause and its violent breakdown without assigning collective responsibility to civilians.

The renewed attack killed several figures holding both political and administrative roles in Hamas-run institutions. Each person's function and any direct military role must be established individually; an organizational label alone is not a substitute for target verification.