Tel Aviv, March 18

The death toll from Israel’s renewed airstrikes on Gaza has risen to 232, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Among the casualties, 113 people were killed in southern Gaza, while over 1,000 others were wounded, the ministry reported.

However, these figures have not been independently verified, and they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Footage from Gaza shows women, children, and elderly individuals among the victims. Israel maintains that it does not target civilians, while accusing Hamas of using them as human shields.
Meanwhile, White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes stated that Hamas had the opportunity to extend the ceasefire by releasing hostages but chose instead to continue the conflict.

In its statement announcing the overnight strikes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declared that Israel will “act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”

The operation, it stated, aims to dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities while securing the release of the remaining 59 hostages.

However, families of the hostages argue that resuming the war endangers their loved ones, as does a majority of the Israeli public, according to recent polls.

While most Israelis support ending the war in exchange for the hostages’ release, Netanyahu’s hardline coalition partners have warned they will bring down the government if the war ends before Hamas is completely dismantled.