Gaza City – Extensive Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, resulted in the deaths of at least 413 people and left approximately 150 injured, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency. This barrage marked the most significant attack on the territory since a ceasefire took effect on January 19, 2025.
Explosions reverberated through multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. The civil defense agency reported that the casualties included a significant number of children, women, and the elderly.
Scale of Destruction and Human Toll
The sheer scale of the strikes on Tuesday prompted immediate international concern and highlighted the fragility of the nearly two-month-old ceasefire. The reported death toll of over 400 represents a dramatic escalation in violence following a period of relative calm, albeit one punctuated by ongoing humanitarian challenges.
While Gaza’s civil defense cited 413 fatalities and around 150 injuries, independent reports presented slightly different figures, underscoring the difficulty of obtaining precise data during active hostilities. Democracy Now!, for instance, reported that the airstrikes had killed at least 404 people and wounded more than 560. The report also noted that the attacks reportedly began without explicit warning, though the Israeli military had earlier advised residents in some border areas to “evacuate immediately.”
The strikes also reportedly resulted in the death of Mahmud Abu Watfa, who headed Hamas’s police and internal security services in the Gaza Strip. He was reportedly killed in a strike on Gaza City.
Official Responses and Justifications
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed conducting the strikes. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the IDF said it was “conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip” in accordance with the directives of the “political echelon.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office provided the rationale behind the operation, stating that the strikes were ordered after “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.” The statement reiterated that the IDF’s operation aims to achieve standing war objectives, including the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
In a precautionary measure, Israel also ordered the closure of schools located near the bordering regions of Gaza.
Broader Context and Humanitarian Crisis
The extensive strikes occurred in a region already grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis. Prior to Tuesday’s attacks, Gaza had been under an Israeli-imposed blockade on the entry of fuel and humanitarian aid for over two weeks. This restriction had significantly exacerbated the dire conditions within the enclave.
UNICEF had recently reported that a third of young children in northern Gaza were suffering from acute malnutrition, a stark indicator of the deteriorating humanitarian situation stemming from the blockade and the prolonged conflict. The ceasefire, which had commenced on January 19, 2025, and was part of a broader deal aimed at de-escalating tensions and facilitating aid, was widely reported to have been shattered by Tuesday’s actions.
Reactions and Perspectives
The violence drew sharp condemnation from various quarters. Diana Buttu, a Palestinian human rights attorney, was quoted describing the strikes as Israel “bombing Palestinians because it can,” a statement that reflects a deeply critical perspective on the motivations behind the military operation.
The events of March 18, 2025, mark a critical turning point, potentially unraveling the fragile stability provided by the ceasefire and plunging the territory back into intense conflict with devastating consequences for the civilian population already enduring immense hardship.
