Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday the approval of new operational plans to expand the deadly Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip, signaling an escalation of violence despite mounting Palestinian civilian casualties and international appeals for a ceasefire.

During a visit to the Gaza Division headquarters at Re’im Camp near the besieged enclave, Katz declared: “Our main goal now is to bring all hostages home,” warning that if Hamas does not release the remaining Israeli captives, it would face "increasingly heavy prices in territorial losses" and further attacks on its infrastructure—threats widely seen as a justification for continuing the large-scale bombardment and invasion of civilian areas.

The Gaza-based Health Ministry reported that since Israel resumed its attacks on March 18—abandoning the terms of a tentative truce—792 Palestinians have been killed, including large numbers of women and children. The renewed violence comes after Israel rejected moving into the second phase of a UN-backed ceasefire deal that would have included the release of all remaining living captives in exchange for a permanent cessation of hostilities and the freedom of additional Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.

The latest wave of Israeli aggression follows over five months of relentless airstrikes, artillery shelling, and ground operations in Gaza, during which more than 163,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded since October 7, 2023. Entire families have been buried under rubble, hospitals have been targeted, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced and left homeless.

While Israel claims to be pursuing the return of its hostages, observers note that the continuation of hostilities has obstructed meaningful negotiations. Egyptian mediators have proposed a new urgent initiative, under which Hamas would release five Israeli captives—including an Israeli-American soldier—in exchange for a 40-day ceasefire to allow room for further negotiations. Hamas reportedly accepted the terms immediately, but Israel has yet to respond.

Meanwhile, resistance factions in Gaza have resumed limited rocket fire in retaliation for the renewed Israeli assaults, although most projectiles have been intercepted.

Critics argue that Israel’s military strategy—carried out under the pretext of hostage retrieval—has turned into a campaign of collective punishment targeting Gaza’s already devastated population. Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the Israeli blockade, occupation, and military onslaught as violations of international law and a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in full view of the world. (ILKHA)