Israeli forces have stepped up their attacks on Hamas as they are targeting political leaders of terrorist groups and trying to seize and retain Gaza’s territory.
Israeli forces issued an evacuation order on March 31, covering most of Rafa, the largest city in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) urged Palestinians to head to Almawasi, a refugee tent city along the coast. This order came during Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday.
“IDF is back to fight with great force to eliminate the capabilities of terrorist organizations in these areas,” the IDF said. “For safety, we need to move to the Almawasi shelter right away.”
The IDF said on March 29 it was attempting to expand its security zones in southern Gaza.
The two-month ceasefire ended on March 18th, with the two-month disagreeing with the terms of extending it.
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New battles are at a cost to the region. At least 19 Palestinians, including Hamas political leaders and several women and children, were killed in airstrikes on the night of March 22nd.
At least 15 medics and emergency responders were killed in southern Gaza. Their bodies were later recovered after being buried by IDF bulldozers. Eight of them came from the Palestinian Red Crescent moon, six from the Palestinian Civil Defence Emergency Unit and one of the staff at Unrwa, a UN agency that handles Palestinian relief.
According to the Israeli era, the IDF confirmed on March 28 that after the IDF eliminated “several Hamas terrorists” in a fire in the Ter-Sultan area, it fired fire on an ambulance and fire truck in southern Gaza after the “suspected vehicles” were mistakenly identified as “suspected vehicles.”
The IDF has focused on “recurring use” by “terrorist organisations of ambulances on the Gaza Strip for terrorist purposes.”
With the new attack, the IDF is targeting Hamas political officials. A senior member of Hamas Political Bureau, who serves as prime minister, was killed in the opening assault. His replacement was also killed a few days later.
Biden administration officials warned of catastrophic violence if urban areas were attacked. Israeli analysts say it didn’t go through.
However, one strike on May 26, 2024 killed 45 civilians living in the city of Rafa’s tents after being exiled earlier during the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “tragic mistakes” an air attack.
Palestinians will inspect the damage at the ambulance repair yard that was hit by the Israeli attack held at Al-Magazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on March 24, 2025. Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images
The 2024 Rafa attack allowed the IDF to seize control of Philadelphi Coridor, a narrow land along Gaza’s border with Egypt, and to tighten up weapons Israel is smuggling into Hamas. When and how to withdraw from the corridor was a skeleton of competition before and after the recently concluded ceasefire.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to the report.
