Camille Naredo

Israeli army Merkava main battle tanks move at a position in southern Israel along the border fence with the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025. Menahem Kahana, AFP

Israeli army Merkava main battle tanks move at a position in southern Israel along the border fence with the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025. Israel on March 18 unleashed its most intense strikes on the Gaza Strip since a January ceasefire, with rescuers reporting 220 people killed, and Hamas accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to "resume war" after a deadlock on extending the truce. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Article (news)

GAZA

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1742307083913AFP__20250318__372W8DC__v2__Preview__TopshotIsraelPalestinianGazaConflict.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Israeli army Merkava main battle tanks move at a position in southern Israel along the border fence with the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025. Menahem Kahana, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Israeli army Merkava main battle tanks move at a position in southern Israel along the border fence with the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025. <em>Menahem Kahana, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories --  Israel vowed on Tuesday to continue fighting in Gaza until all hostages are returned as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a ceasefire, with the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reporting more than 400 people killed.</p><p>Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to &quot;resume war&quot; after an impasse in truce negotiations, and warned that the return to fighting could be a &quot;death sentence&quot; for hostages still alive in Gaza.</p><p>The strikes were by far the biggest and deadliest since a truce took effect in January. Hamas has not responded to the strikes so far.</p><p>Netanyahu warned Hamas this month of consequences it &quot;cannot imagine&quot; if it does not free hostages still in Gaza, and Israeli media reported on plans aimed at ramping up pressure on Hamas dubbed the &quot;Hell Plan&quot;.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/18/over-220-reported-dead-after-israel-pounds-gaza-in-most-intense-strikes-since-ceasefire-1328">READ: Over 220 reported dead after Israel pounds Gaza in most intense strikes since ceasefire</a></div><p>The White House said Israel consulted US President Donald Trump&#x27;s administration before launching the wave of strikes, which the health ministry in Gaza said killed mostly women and children.</p><p>Netanyahu&#x27;s office said the operation was ordered after &quot;Hamas&#x27;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&quot;.</p><p>&quot;Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,&quot; the statement said.</p><p>&quot;We will not stop fighting as long as the hostages are not returned home and all our war aims are not achieved,&quot; Defense Minister Israel Katz said.</p><p>Apart from the release of the remaining hostages, Israel&#x27;s other main war aim is to crush Hamas.</p><p>In a statement, Hamas said Israel had &quot;decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement&quot;.</p><p>&quot;Netanyahu&#x27;s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation&#x27;s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them,&quot; it said.</p><p>Hamas said the head of its government in Gaza, Essam al-Dalis, was among several officials killed in the strikes.</p><p>A Hamas official said the group was &quot;working with mediators&quot; to stop the bombardment, while the movement blamed what it described as &quot;unlimited&quot; US support for Israel for the deadly strikes.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/16/gaza-truce-talks-dogged-by-deep-divisions-0100">READ: Gaza truce talks dogged by deep divisions</a></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Fire of hell&#x27; -</strong></div><p>In Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, AFP footage showed people rushing stretchers with wounded people, including young children, to the Nasser Hospital. Bodies covered with white sheets were also taken to the hospital&#x27;s mortuary.</p><p>Mohammed Jarghoun, 36, was sleeping in a tent near his destroyed house in Khan Yunis when he was woken by huge blasts.</p><p>&quot;I thought they were dreams and nightmares, but I saw a fire in my relatives&#x27; house. More than 20 martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women.&quot;</p><p>Ramez Alammarin, 25, described carrying children to hospital southeast of Gaza City.</p><p>&quot;They unleashed the fire of hell again on Gaza,&quot; he said of Israel, adding that &quot;bodies and limbs are on the ground, and the wounded cannot find any doctor to treat them.&quot;</p><p>Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza pleaded with Netanyahu to &quot;stop the killing and disappearance&quot; of their loved ones, and called for a protest in front of the premier&#x27;s residence.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/15/hamas-says-ball-is-in-israels-court-after-hostage-offer-2104">READ: Hamas says &#x27;ball is in Israel&#x27;s court&#x27; after hostage offer</a></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Hundreds of wounded&#x27; -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/guS0BucR9WA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the initial phase of the ceasefire took effect on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza triggered by Hamas&#x27;s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.</p><p>That first phase ended in early March, and the two sides have been unable to agree on the next steps.</p><p>The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the bodies of 413 people had been received by Gaza hospitals.</p><p>&quot;A number of victims are still under the rubble and work is underway to recover them,&quot; it added.</p><p>Israel ordered all schools near the Gaza border to shut for fear of attack.</p><p>US envoy Witkoff told CNN on Sunday he had offered a &quot;bridge proposal&quot; that would see five living hostages, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, released in return for freeing a &quot;substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners&quot; from Israel jails.</p><p>Hamas had said it was ready to free Alexander and the remains of four others.</p><p>Witkoff said Hamas had provided &quot;an unacceptable response&quot; and that &quot;the opportunity is closing fast&quot;.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/10/israel-halts-gaza-electricity-supply-ahead-of-new-truce-talks-1222">READ: Israel halts Gaza electricity supply ahead of new truce talks</a></div><div><strong>- Deadlock -</strong></div><p>During the first phase of the truce, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight deceased, and Israel freed around 1,800 Palestinian detainees.</p><p>Since then, Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase.</p><p>Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase which would involve the release of remaining living hostages, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces left in Gaza and the establishment of a lasting ceasefire.</p><p>Israel, however, seeks to extend the first phase until mid-April, insisting any transition to the second phase must include &quot;the total demilitarisation&quot; of Gaza and the removal of Hamas.</p><p>The talks have been deadlocked, and Israel has cut aid and electricity to the territory.</p><p>Hamas&#x27;s October 7, 2023 attack resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, while before the overnight strikes, Israel&#x27;s retaliatory response in Gaza had killed at least 48,577 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the two sides.</p><p>Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.</p><p>UN chief Antonio Guterres was &quot;shocked&quot; by the renewed strikes, a spokeswoman said, while UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was &quot;horrified&quot;.</p><p>Both Russia and China warned against an escalation, while Egypt and Turkey condemned the violence.</p><div><strong>-- AFP teams in Gaza with Marc Jourdier in Jerusalem</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to "resume war" after an impasse in truce negotiations.</p>

Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to "resume war" after an impasse in truce negotiations.

Israel vows to fight on in Gaza after deadliest strikes since truce

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Israel vows to fight on in Gaza after deadliest strikes since truce

Agence France-Presse

Published March 19, 2025 01:39 AM PHT

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