On Tuesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Hamas and allied Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza after negotiations to extend the first phase of a ceasefire deal reached an impasse.
“In accordance with the political echelon, the IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency] are currently conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said.
The IDF detailed that it targeted fighters, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Among the notable individuals Israel killed was PIJ Spokesperson Naji Abu Said, also known as Abu Hamza. An airstrike targeted his central Gaza home, killing him and members of his family, Reuters reported.
Hamas said that Israeli airstrikes killed six senior officials. Among the dead are Issam al Dalis, head of Government Work; Yasser Harb and M. Muhammad al Jamasi, both members of the political bureau; Ahmed al Hatta, undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice; Major General Mahmoud Abu Watfa, undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior; and Major General Bahjat Abu Sultan, director general of the Internal Security Service.
The Popular Resistance Committees, a terrorist organization aligned with Hamas, said that an Israeli airstrike killed Muhammad al Batran, the commander of its artillery unit and a member of the group’s Central Military Brigade Council.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel will escalate military operations against Hamas. The 42-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on January 19, led to the release of 33 hostages—eight of whom were deceased—and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The ceasefire expired on March 5 after efforts to extend it failed, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stating that Hamas “repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all proposals” put forth by US envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators. On March 12, Witkoff proposed a “bridge agreement” in Doha to extend the first phase of the original three-phase ceasefire until April 19 in exchange for the release of five living hostages and the remains of 10 deceased hostages. However, on March 15, Witkoff said Hamas had responded by “publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire.”
In a televised address on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu explained that the resumption of military operations was a “necessary condition” to force Hamas to return hostages that have been in captivity since October 7, 2023.
At this time, there have been no reprisal attacks from Gaza against Israeli territory. However, on Tuesday, the IDF said the Israeli Air Force intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen took credit for the attack, saying they fired a “Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile” at the Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel and that the operation “successfully achieved its objective.”
The group warned that it would expand its range of fire “during the coming hours and days” if Israel did not stop carrying out airstrikes in Gaza. The Houthis did not provide evidence to demonstrate they fired a hypersonic missile.
