Saturday, March 29, 2025
Ceasefire Collapses? Israel Launches Airstrikes on Gaza Under Netanyahu’s Orders
The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to have collapsed, as Israeli fighter jets launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip late Tuesday night. According to reports, the attacks were ordered directly by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking a sharp escalation in tensions that had been brewing for days.
Following allegations that Hamas repeatedly violated the ceasefire terms, Netanyahu instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to initiate “immediate and forceful operations” against Hamas strongholds in Gaza.
Eyewitnesses and Hamas-linked media outlets confirmed that airstrikes targeted areas near Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza — one of the enclave’s largest medical facilities. According to a Reuters report, at least two people were killed and four others injured in the overnight bombardment.
Earlier in the day, signs of renewed hostilities emerged when Israeli soldiers came under fire near Rafah, a southern Gaza city bordering Egypt. The IDF retaliated, further heightening tensions. A senior Israeli military officer, speaking anonymously, told reporters that the attack on troops “demonstrated Hamas’s disregard for the ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S.”
The situation worsened after Netanyahu announced that the remains of an Israeli hostage returned overnight by Hamas were, in fact, the same remains recovered by Israeli forces nearly two years ago — an act he called a “clear violation of the truce” mediated by Washington.
Under the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Hamas was obligated to return the bodies of all Israeli hostages as a gesture toward peace and accountability. Netanyahu accused Hamas of deception and declared that Israel “will not remain silent in the face of such betrayal.”
The renewed Israeli strikes could derail months of diplomatic work by Washington, Cairo, and Doha to sustain the fragile truce. Analysts warn that the breakdown of the ceasefire may trigger a new round of intense fighting, worsening Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis.
