March 18, 2025 (EIRNS)—Israel’s renewed war began in the middle of the night after the IDF received orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to “act forcefully” against Hamas amid it’s refusal to release Israeli hostages, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, reported the Times of Israel, last night.
“At the direction of the political echelon, the IDF and Shin Bet are extensively attacking Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip,” the IDF and Shin Bet said in a subsequent joint statement, adding that additional details will be provided shortly.
Netanyahu’s office claimed that Hamas “rejected all offers it received” from U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and the other mediators.
ToI notes, however, that Hamas has insisted on sticking with the original terms of the ceasefire agreement that went into effect on Jan. 19. Phase 2 of that deal envisioned Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza and agreeing to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages. While Israel signed on to the deal, Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not end the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been destroyed. Not mentioned is Netanyahu’s promise in January to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is leader of the Religious Zionist party, to resume the war at the end of phase 1 in order to secure Smotrich’s continued support for the coalition government. Accordingly, as ToI does note, Israel refused to even hold talks regarding the terms of phase 2, which were supposed to begin on Feb. 3.
In its statement announcing the overnight strike, Netanyahu’s office said they were aimed at achieving Israel’s war aims, which are the dismantlement of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and the return of the hostages. Hostage families have long argued that those aims contradict each other and that a return to fighting will endanger their loved ones. “From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,” Netanyahu’s office says, adding that the plans for the resumption of IDF operations were approved last week by the political echelon.
