Israel began a new round of airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza overnight. The airstrikes began after midnight and continued overnight between March 17 and March 18. They represent the strongest strikes since the ceasefire that began in mid-January.
Hamas has claimed that Israel broke the ceasefire, but it is Hamas that sought to stall since March 1, when the first phase ended.
Hamas believed it could achieve a ‘Ramadan ceasefire’ throughout March and that it could rebuild its forces. It has been recruiting, and recent reports paint a picture of a terror group that still has up to 25,000 fighters. The group, however, lacks the firepower it had back on October 6, 2023, before its invasion of Israel.
Hamas had sought to delay talks in Doha over the last two weeks. It refused to release new hostages on March 1, March 8, or March 15. Hamas should have released nine hostages by now.
Instead, the terror group put out a statement on Friday claiming it was ready to release the American hostages held in Gaza – Edan Alexander and also four deceased hostages. Alexander is believed to be the only living American hostage in Gaza.
However, Hamas appeared to be deceiving Israel and US envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff, who was sent by Trump to secure the ceasefire in January, had reportedly offered a bridging deal to end the impasse after March 1. Israel supported his proposal. Hamas stalled.
The strikes on Gaza overnight are a test for Israel’s new Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir. They come amid other internal crises in Israel.
However, the fact is that Hamas created this scenario by provoking Israel. The terror group believed it could turn back the clock to October 6, 2023, and that it could hold almost 60 hostages and get away with it.
"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said overnight. Hamas is now threatening the hostages and also claiming that large numbers of civilians have been killed in Gaza.
Hamas left without allies as Houthis, Hezbollah, and Iran step back
However, Hamas must also know that today, the US is carrying out increasing airstrikes on the Houthis, who had threatened to return to using ballistic missiles against Israel to back Hamas.
Now, the Houthis will be more pressed because they have to deal with the US Navy and the warplanes from the USS Harry S. Truman. The US airstrikes, which began four days ago, are key to a wider effort in the region against Iran and its proxies.
Iran has distanced itself from the Houthis. Iran knows that it is playing with fire with the Trump administration. The White House has warned the Houthis against attacks and said Iran could be held responsible. Therefore, the Islamic Republic has been doing everything possible to now make it seem that it is not backing the Houthis.
It remains to be seen where the new strikes will lead. Israel has many options. The Trump administration has been supportive of Israel doing what it wants in Gaza. At the same time, the Arab states have backed an Egyptian proposal for reconstruction in Gaza. However, those states also have other issues on their plate.
There are the US strikes on the Houthis as well as Syria’s tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Many things are in play in the region. Israel has also ramped up strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon and southern Syria.
