Unprecedented Israeli strikes since the entry into force of the ceasefire on January 19 left at least 220 dead in Gaza, the civil defense of the Palestinian territory announced on Tuesday, March 18, Hamas accusing Israel of “torpedoing” the truce.
“In agreement with the political level, the Israeli defense forces and the internal security agency are carrying out extensive strikes on terrorist objectives belonging to the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli army and the internal security agency in a common stategram statement said on Tuesday.
These strikes, decided by Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his Minister of Defense Israel Katz made “the repeated refusal of Hamas to release our hostages as well as his rejection of all the proposals he received from the American presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators,” said a statement from the Israeli government. “Israel will now act against Hamas with increased military force,” adds the same source.
The Islamist movement, in power in Gaza since 2007, accused Israel of having decided to “torpedo” the truce. Benyamin “Netanyahu and his extremist government decided to torpedo the cease-fire agreement, exposing prisoners to Gaza to an uncertain spell,” he judged in a statement referring to the hostages. “Netanyahu has decided to take over the war of extermination in which he sees a rescue buoy for internal crises” that Israel crosses, declares another press release quoting Izzat al-Rishq, member of the Movement Political Bureau: “Netanyahu’s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice prisoners [aux mains du Hamas ou de ses alliés, ndlr] And a death sentence against them, “added the text.
The Presidency of the United States said it was consulted by Israel upstream of the strikes. “The Trump Administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis about their attacks on Gaza tonight,” said the spokesperson for the president Karoline Leavitt on the Fox News channel, adding that “as President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize Israel but also the United States of America, (will have to pay the price “.
The offensive will continue “as long as necessary”
The strikes made “at least 220 dead […] For most children, women and the elderly, “MAHMOUD BASSAL, spokesperson for the civil defense of the Gaza Strip,, according to whom 103 dead were listed in Hospitals in Khan Younès, in the south of the Gaza Strip and 70 in Gaza-Ville, the 47 other places in the territory.
On images broadcast by AFP, you can see several people injured to be transported in precipitation on stretchers at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younès.
According to an Israeli official who spoke under the guise of anonymity, these “preventive” strikes are aimed at the Hierarchy Civil and Military of Hamas. They targeted “military commanders of intermediate grade, members of the management of Hamas as well as terrorist infrastructure” of the movement, detailed this official, who mentioned “dozens of strikes”. These are carried out in order to prevent Hamas from “reconstructing forces and rearming,” he added. The offensive will continue “as long as necessary” and will extend beyond the only recourse to air strikes, said this source.
Passive defense also announced that there would be no school on Tuesday in Israel in the bordering areas of the Gaza Strip.