The tenuous ceasefire in place between Israel and Hamas since January 19 collapsed on March 18, as Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes across Gaza, leading to at least 436 deaths, which included 183 children, according to local health authorities. A day later, Israeli ground forces advanced further into the Gaza Strip, taking control of sections of a key corridor that divides the Palestinian enclave. This marks the most significant ground operation since the ceasefire with Hamas collapsed. Troops have launched “targeted ground activities” along the Netzarim Corridor to establish a “partial buffer zone” between northern and southern Gaza. The Israeli military reported expanding its control to the central part of the corridor.
More airstrikes later on March 19 killed about 20 people, and Israel has issued new evacuation orders, telling residents across a swath of northern Gaza to move south and west to avoid “dangerous combat zones”. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that attacks would increase “with an intensity that you have not known” until Hamas released the remaining hostages and gave up control of Gaza. The latest escalation from Israel has set the stage for yet another round of intense conflict.
The initial phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was designed to facilitate a hostage-prisoner swap and lay the groundwork for further negotiations. The past two months were, however, a period of cold peace, as both sides were suspicious of each other's intentions and an outburst of hostilities was always a distinct possibility. The truce talks unravelled quickly as there were fundamentally irreconcilable differences between the two sides. Hamas put permanent cessation of hostilities as a precondition for releasing significant numbers of Israeli hostages, as it did not want to give up its dominance in Gaza. Israel, on the other hand, refused to commit to an end to the war unless Hamas gave up power entirely—it has been a non-negotiable demand tied to its broader war objectives.
That was one of the reasons why the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliberately missed the February 3 deadline to start discussions for the ceasefire’s second phase. Instead, Israel suggested extending the existing first phase, but without adhering to all of its original terms. Hamas rejected it, calling it a betrayal.
The latest escalation has brought to the fore the deep divergence in objectives between Hamas and Israel. For Hamas, the ceasefire represents a chance to rebuild and retain its authority in Gaza. American intelligence estimates that the group has managed to recruit nearly as many fighters as it had lost since the conflict started in 2023. Such ability to replenish its ranks underscores Hamas’s calculation that prolonging the conflict strengthens its position domestically and regionally. Israel, on the other hand, views any truce that leaves Hamas in power as unacceptable. From Netanyahu’s perspective, the war’s twin goals—securing the release of all hostages and dismantling Hamas’s political and military capabilities—are non-negotiable. With the collapse of the negotiations, Israel possibly return to a military strategy aimed at forcing Hamas into submission.
Therefore, it comes as little surprise then that Netanyahu described the latest airstrikes as “just the beginning” of a renewed campaign. This approach serves multiple purposes for the Israeli leader. It seeks to degrade Hamas’s infrastructure further, targeting its weapons, tunnels and even the key surviving figures among the group’s leadership. Yet, Hamas’s resilience—clear from its continued recruitment and governance despite years of bombardment—suggests that such pressure may not work. History shows that the group is likely to dig in, using the urban terrain to its advantage and exploiting ground clashes to inflict casualties on Israeli soldiers while rallying international sympathy for its cause.
Netanyahu’s decision to resume hostilities has delivered immediate political dividends for him. Within hours of the strikes, the far-right Jewish Power party led by Itamar Ben-Gvir reversed its decision to withdraw from the governing coalition—a move prompted by its opposition to the January ceasefire—and rejoined the Netanyahu camp. This has bolstered the Likud coalition’s fragile parliamentary majority, which nearly collapsed amid threats from another far-right ally, Bezalel Smotrich, who, too, wanted to continue the war against Hamas. Most far-right groups harbour ambitions far beyond defeating Hamas. They want to expel Palestinians from Gaza and re-establish Jewish settlements abandoned in 2005, a vision that is gaining traction by the day.
The renewed conflict also offers a distraction for Netanyahu from his contentious efforts to exert control over Israel’s independent institutions. He has been plotting to dismiss Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet security agency, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for sometime now. These efforts are part of a larger campaign to curb the power of the judiciary and other independent agencies. By escalating the war, he can rally his right-wing base, and can shift public attention from these domestic controversies to the unifying banner of national security.
However, there is no unanimous support for renewed military action. Families of hostages are particularly upset. There have been protests outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, expressing anger and disillusionment towards Netanyahu. Along Highway 1, the primary route between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, demonstrators displayed a banner stating: “The future of the coalition or the future of Israel.” This message, echoed by thousands who marched to the capital on March 19, suggested that throughout nearly 18 months of conflict and tenuous ceasefires, Netanyahu has placed greater emphasis on maintaining his political position than on ensuring the safety of Israel and securing the release of Israeli hostages.
Internationally, the United States, as usual, has emerged as a staunch supporter of Israel’s latest offensive. The Trump administration, informed of the strikes in advance, blamed Hamas for derailing the ceasefire process. This stance aligns with Trump's broader regional moves, including recent American strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and escalating rhetoric against Iran. But such support contrasts sharply with the growing isolation Israel faces elsewhere. The sympathy it earned after the October 2023 attacks has dissipated, replaced by mounting criticism from allies and adversaries alike. Accusations of “genocide” have gained traction in global discourse, fuelled by the rising civilian toll in Gaza, while the renewed fighting places the remaining Israeli hostages—estimated at dozens—in even greater peril.