Alright, so things are getting intense again in Gaza. The Israel Hamas war is back in full swing after Israel decided to restart combat operations. Overnight air strikes have reportedly killed at least 13 people. And yeah, that’s just the start.
According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, an Israeli drone strike hit a tent near the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. Two civilians lost their lives, and five others got injured. The Red Crescent medics confirmed this. Meanwhile, the Israeli military says they were targeting a Hamas military site where the group was supposedly prepping to fire into Israel. Also, they hit some Hamas-controlled vessels.
And if you thought there might be a pause, nope. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu straight-up said this is “just the beginning.” So, yeah, things are escalating fast.
Ceasefire? What Ceasefire?
Just a few days ago, there was some hope for a truce. But here we are. Tuesday’s bombings were absolutely brutal—more than 400 people reportedly killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. And now? More strikes, more casualties, and no sign of a let-up.
The weird thing is, there was supposed to be a structured ceasefire deal happening in phases. The first phase kicked off on January 19, with a hostage exchange and a brief pause in fighting. But when it came time to negotiate phase two? Total breakdown. Instead of moving forward, Israel and the U.S. pushed for extending phase one (basically, more hostages for prisoners). That obviously didn’t sit well with Hamas, and here we are—right back at square one.
Netanyahu is making it clear that Israel is shifting back to its original plan: bringing back the remaining hostages and wiping out Hamas. But families of the hostages? Yeah, they’re not happy. Many say the government just abandoned their loved ones. Israel claims Hamas still holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
Meanwhile, Egypt, which has been mediating, is calling Israel’s fresh attacks a “blatant” violation of the ceasefire. But at this point, it’s looking like ceasefire talks will now only happen “under fire,” according to Netanyahu. In other words, don’t hold your breath.
High-Profile Deaths & More Civilians Caught in the Crossfire
Tuesday’s strikes didn’t just kill civilians—Hamas confirmed that some of its leaders are now gone, including its de facto head of government, Essam a-Da’lees. Over in Islamic Jihad, one of their big names, Abu Hamza, was also killed. That group was involved in the massive October 7 attack on Israel, which started this whole war in the first place.
But let’s be real—it’s not just militant leaders getting hit. Dozens of children are reportedly among the dead. Wafa reports that an air strike in Khan Younis killed a woman and child, while another in Gaza City took out four more people.
And yeah, the numbers keep climbing. Gaza’s health ministry hasn’t even put out an official count for these latest strikes yet, but considering that Israel’s military offensive has already killed more than 48,500 Palestinians, it’s only going up.
Regional mediators are now reportedly trying to convince Hamas to release some of the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for de-escalation. But with Israel pushing harder, and Netanyahu doubling down, it’s hard to see how that happens anytime soon.
For now, the Israel Hamas war grinds on, and the destruction keeps piling up. No end in sight, just more bloodshed.
