Israel resumes attacks on Gaza: what’s happening, who’s to blame, and what comes next?

The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has collapsed, plunging the region back into violence.

With renewed airstrikes and ground operations underway, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening, hostages remain in grave danger, and Israeli politics are deeply entangled in the conflict. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims military action is necessary, critics argue that political manoeuvring, rather than security concerns, is driving the offensive.

After cutting off humanitarian assistance earlier this month, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has officially ended, marked by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday morning (local time).

So far, more than 500 people have been killed and hundreds more injured by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Tuesday has become the deadliest single day in Gaza for well over a year — since 7 November 2023, when 548 Palestinians were killed. Strikes across the Gaza Strip continued into Wednesday, including in Al-Mawasi, which had previously been designated a safe zone by the Israeli military.

On Wednesday, the IDF announced that, over the past day, its troops had begun "targeted ground operations" in central and southern Gaza to "expand the security zone and create a partial buffer" between the northern and southern parts of the Strip. As part of these operations, the army stated that "troops expanded their control further into the centre of the Netzarim Corridor" and an IDF brigade had been assigned to prepare for a ground operation in the south of the Strip.

Defence Minister Israel Katz addressed Gazans on Wednesday stating, "Soon, the population will again be evacuated from combat areas. The air force strike against Hamas terrorists was only the first step. The rest will be much harder, and you will pay the full price."

The strikes follow weeks of deadlock over the second phase of the ceasefire, with Israel’s far-right seemingly preventing Netanyahu from moving ahead with the deal he signed in January, notes Dan Perry in The Forward.

“There’s no other way to explain it: Israel knowingly violated the ceasefire agreement with Hamas — with American approval — because it didn’t want to fully meet the terms it had committed to two months ago,” Amos Harel writes in Haaretz.

According to Harel, Israel’s government failed to uphold the agreement by not completing the promised withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, particularly from the Philadelphi route along the Gaza-Egypt border. Hamas refused to overlook this and, as a result, did not proceed with hostage releases under the new mediation proposals put forward by the US, causing negotiations to stall. In response, Israel resumed fighting early Tuesday morning.

Ben Caspit in Al-Monitor agrees: "Indeed, Netanyahu and his government are in violation of the phased 19 January ceasefire with Hamas, having refused to enter into talks on the second stage of the deal, which would have entailed a permanent ceasefire."

Political commentator Amnon Levy told Israel’s Channel 13 that "The basic thing is that there was a second stage that we [Israel] violated. The second phase was aimed at releasing all the hostages. Israel violated it simply because Netanyahu needs to pass the budget by the end of March. Because of this petty, ugly and cruel reason, right now, our brothers are sitting in tunnels being bombed. It makes the blood boil.”

In a televised address on Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said the military campaign was launched on the recommendation of Israel’s intelligence services and the IDF, as a last resort after weeks of failed efforts to secure the release of more hostages. However, families of the hostages and other critics of Netanyahu suggest alternative reasons for the offensive and its timing.

The immediate response to the strikes played out in the domestic political arena in Israel, with ultra-right-wing Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir announcing on Tuesday morning that he and his six Jewish Power representatives were rejoining the government.

Ben-Gvir, who served as Minister of National Security, had walked out in January to protest the government’s reluctance to renew the 16-month war with Hamas. His return will provide Netanyahu with the Knesset majority he needs to pass the state budget. Failure to secure Knesset approval by March 31 would have led to the government’s collapse and triggered elections.

There are still 59 hostages in Gaza, of whom 24 are believed to be alive. The families of those still held are outraged.

“The Israeli government chose to give up on the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “We are shocked, angry, and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas.”

Netanyahu is likely to argue that renewed military pressure is necessary to secure the return of the hostages — both living and deceased — from Gaza. However, that justification is no longer convincing. Nearly 40 hostages have died in Gaza under various circumstances since their abduction on October 7.

Renewed military pressure clearly endangers the surviving hostages, worsening their already dire conditions, and as Amos Harel explains, in an extreme scenario, could even push Hamas to harm some in retaliation.

Israeli officials have made it clear that these strikes are only the beginning of a potential broader offensive that will continue until Hamas releases the remaining 59 Israeli hostages. This would inevitably lead to further civilian casualties, mass displacement, and widespread destruction.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza was only partially alleviated by a surge in aid during the ceasefire. Two weeks ago, Israel imposed a total blockade on the territory, claiming Hamas was exploiting aid for its own benefit and had violated the agreement — claims denied by Hamas. Aid agencies and local shops currently have enough essential supplies to last about three weeks, according to humanitarian officials, but the renewed violence will make distribution significantly harder.

“After this initial barrage, Israel may cut back on attacks to give Hamas a chance to accept Witkoff’s bridging proposals. Alternatively, Israel could be on the path to fully breaking the ceasefire, leading to an extended conflict,” Dan Perry writes in The Forward. He highlights three key factors that will determine the course of events:

While most Israelis want Hamas removed from power, the resumption of airstrikes has been met with deep frustration. The majority of Israelis — over 70% in most polls — just want the war to end.

Public frustration stems largely from the government’s failure to present a viable alternative to Hamas. Netanyahu’s refusal to address this issue — out of fear of the far-right, which advocates for permanent occupation —has created a paradox. Israelis want Hamas defeated, but they also recognise that the war, as currently waged, will not achieve that goal.

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Israel's renewed Gaza offensive exposes Netanyahu's real goal: political survival through endless war (Amos Harel, Haaretz)

Netanyahu’s Gaza war goal: Pressuring Hamas or political survival? (Ben Caspit, Al-Monitor)

Resumed war solves Netanyahu’s problems. But what of Israel’s? (David Horovitz, Times of Israel)

Israel has resumed the war in Gaza. Why now? (CNN)

Why has the Gaza ceasefire collapsed? Why has the US launched aistrikes in Yemen? Middle East expert Q&A (The Conversation)

Why did the ceasefire break down? Blame Netanyahu’s survival politics and Trump’s volatility (Dan Perry, The Forward)

Hamas demanding an end to the Gaza war, using Israeli hostages as its only bargaining chip (Jack Khoury, Haaretz)

Two months ago we had hope. Then Trump allowed Netanyahu to destroy the hostage negotiation (Amir Tibon, Haaretz)