Defense Minister of Israel authorizes strategy for capturing Gaza City
In the ongoing Gaza conflict, the latest truce proposal has effectively collapsed. A ceasefire and hostages-and-prisoners exchange deal that was agreed upon and implemented from January 19 to March 18, 2025, ended abruptly when Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Gaza on March 18, breaking the ceasefire.
The ceasefire was part of a broader, multistage truce proposal initially drafted by mediators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar, accepted by Hamas in May 2024, and supported by the UN Security Council. However, the proposal faced obstruction allegations from both Israeli and Hamas sides before finally being agreed upon and signed in January 2025.
Despite these efforts, the truce ended within two months, and active conflict has resumed. The current situation in Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods of Gaza City is "very dangerous and unbearable" due to intermittent shelling, according to Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defense agency.
Israel's offensive has reportedly killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable. In Gaza, the civil defense agency reported that Israeli strikes and fire killed 48 people across the territory on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Hamas has approved the framework of the truce proposal. The latest proposal includes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners, and provisions for aid entry into Gaza. However, the Israeli military has remained tight-lipped about specific troop movements, stating they are operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities and taking "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his country would accept an agreement in which all hostages are released at once and according to conditions for ending the war. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi has stated that Hamas is open to reaching an agreement, but the outcome is uncertain due to Netanyahu's past actions.
The authorization by Defense Minister Israel Katz to call up approximately 60,000 reservists for a plan to conquer Gaza City has raised concerns about worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the region. In the Zikim area of northern Gaza, an AFP journalist saw Palestinians hauling sacks of food aid along dusty roads lined with rubble and damaged buildings.
As mediators await an official Israeli response on their latest proposal for a ceasefire in the nearly two-year war in Gaza, the situation remains tense and uncertain. The breakdown of the truce has brought renewed violence and uncertainty to the region, with both sides seemingly far from reaching a lasting peace.
[1] Source: Associated Press, "Israel resumes Gaza offensive, ending 2-week truce", March 19, 2025.
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