Gaza City, March 17, 2025-In the last 24 hours, military operations in Gaza have grown intense, resulting in numerous losses among Palestinians because of Israel. Gaza’s health ministry said that at least 15 persons died from various airstrikes. During the most serious incident, nine Palestinians, four of them journalists, were killed in Beit Lahiya.
The Israeli army stated that the strike targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants. The military supposed that part of the group had operated “under cover of journalists.” But Salama Marouf, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, refuted these claims and insisted the victims were civilians on a charity mission.
Four other Palestinians were killed on Saturday in another airstrike. On Sunday in Juhr Eldeek, a 62-year-old man was killed in an Israeli drone strike; another victim fell near the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. The Israeli military stated it had targeted a “terrorist” trying to plant a bomb in that location.
This incident illustrates the fragility of the ceasefire set by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. Although there was a truce, including during negotiations in which an Israeli contingent was in Egypt talking about ceasefire extensions and hostage releases, fighting has continued, making peace efforts difficult.
From the cross-border arrival of Hamas into southern Israel on October 7, fighting escalated until, on October 7, 2023, it resulted in huge death tolls and widespread destruction in Gaza. According to Israeli authorities, 1,200 people died and 251 hostages were kidnapped on the first attack.
In retaliation for these, Israeli attacks have led to over 48,000 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza health officials, displacing a majority of the population and practically devastating the majority of the territory.
As the violence rages on, international calls for concern multiplied. The embassy is looking to stem the effects of the ceasefire by addressing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. The road to permanent peace remains unclear as fighting continues along with old hostilities between the warring parties.