Back to square one… Why did Israel resume its war on Gaza?

20th March 2025

5 minutes read

Back to square one… Why did Israel resume its war on Gaza?

Barely two months after the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, it collapsed entirely on Tuesday night, signaling the return of war.

With the intensification of military operations, questions arise about the reasons for this sudden return to violence.

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Why did Israel return to war now?

The Israeli government provided various reasons. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the attacks were “due to Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages and its threats to harm Israeli soldiers and cities.”

The American network “CNN” reported: “If this seems like the same reason Israel gave for launching the war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, it is indeed the case.”

The goals of the war in Gaza are to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas and to destroy the movement’s ability to govern and militarize the region.

Later on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the attacks were due to “Hamas’s rejection of concrete mediation proposals put forward by U.S. President’s envoy, Steve Witkoff.”

An Israeli official clarified in a statement distributed to the media, that the airstrikes on Gaza were the first phase in a series of escalating military operations aimed at pressuring Hamas to release more hostages.

This represents the viewpoint of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who believes military pressure is the most effective method to secure the release of hostages.

Domestically

Israel’s far-right has never accepted the Gaza ceasefire, viewing it as a surrender to Hamas. They want all Palestinians out of Gaza and for Israel to rebuild the settlements evacuated in 2005.

For Netanyahu, it is necessary to keep this faction to remain in power, according to “CNN”, which highlighted the resignation of far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir in protest of the ceasefire.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to leave the government if Israel did not return to war.

All of this risked tearing apart Netanyahu’s coalition government.

However, on Tuesday, Ben Gvir’s party, the “Jewish Power,” announced its return to the government, a move seen by many as “a major political victory for Netanyahu and stability for his coalition.”

Additionally, the resumption of the conflict in Gaza would shift attention away from Netanyahu’s desire to remove the head of Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service), a decision that sparked calls for mass protests.

Fragility of the situation

The two sides were supposed to discuss a second phase starting on February 3, but the Israeli government ignored this deadline.

In contrast to decades of tradition, the United States began speaking directly with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization.

Israel sent negotiating teams to Qatar and Egypt last Sunday “in an attempt to push negotiations forward.”

Israel stated that U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, proposed extending the ceasefire for a full month until Ramadan, then Easter at the end of April, but without any of the commitments made in January.

Hamas immediately rejected this plan, considering Netanyahu and his government to be carrying out a “blatant coup against the ceasefire agreement” that was already reached.

In this regard, “CNN” noted that the two sides are now far apart.

Last week, Hamas offered to release American-Israeli soldier Aidan Alexander, along with the bodies of four others, in exchange for Tel Aviv’s commitment to “honor the three-phase ceasefire agreement signed by all parties in January.”

Israel called this offer “psychological warfare.”

Both Smotrich and Ben Gvir believe that Israel has been far too slow in managing the war.

Smotrich said on Tuesday: “This is a gradual operation that we planned and built over the last few weeks since the new Israeli chief of staff took office. It will look completely different from what has been achieved so far.”

What happened to the ceasefire talks?

Israel and Hamas began a ceasefire on January 19. The first phase was supposed to last 42 days.

Under the terms of the second phase, Israel would have had to fully withdraw from Gaza and commit to permanently ending the war. In return, Hamas would release all living prisoners.

Israel expressed a desire for new conditions. It wanted Hamas to continue releasing prisoners in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, but without any commitment to end the war or withdraw its troops.

Has the war resumed in full force?

The Israeli army revealed little about its operation. In its first announcement, it stated that it was carrying out intensive strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Later on Tuesday, the army ordered Palestinians living in vast areas of Gaza, several kilometers from the Israeli border, to leave their homes.

This fueled speculation that Israel was preparing for a new ground invasion, possibly attempting to occupy Gaza’s urban centers, which it has not yet done.

It is unlikely that Israel will end its escalating military offensive without an agreement to release more hostages, according to “CNN,” which stated that Tel Aviv is determined to force Hamas to negotiate under fire.

An Israeli official said that Israel has a plan to gradually escalate its military operations in Gaza, but it is unclear when Israel will be able to send ground troops into combat in Gaza again.

What does this mean for Gaza’s residents?

Tuesday was already the deadliest day in Gaza in over a year – since November 7, 2023, when 548 Palestinians were killed.

It has been over two weeks since Israel blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, in response, it said, to Hamas’s refusal to accept new terms for the truce.

Yesterday, crowds of Palestinians were seen fleeing again, under orders from the army, taking what little they had and leaving areas considered unsafe.