Latest Developments
IDF Targets Hamas and PIJ Members and Infrastructure: Following the refusal of Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages it holds captive in Gaza, less than half of whom are believed to be alive, Israel began extensive strikes in Gaza on March 18. The IDF said that the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets “struck over the past few hours include terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure used by these terror organizations to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.” The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between military and civilian casualties, reported that more than 400 Gazans had been killed.
Hamas Making ‘Impractical’ Demands: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel “will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.” Israel and Hamas agreed to a 42-day ceasefire deal that came into effect on January 19, which resulted in the release of 33 hostages, eight of whom were dead, and the increase of humanitarian aid deliveries into the coastal enclave. The deal expired on March 5, with attempts to extend the ceasefire failing as the Iran-backed terrorist organization “repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all proposals presented by [the] U.S. President’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as the mediators,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote. Witkoff had submitted a “bridge proposal” to negotiators in Doha on March 12 that would have extended phase one of the original three-phase ceasefire through April 19 in exchange for the release of five living hostages and the remains of 10 murdered hostages. “Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire,” Witkoff said on March 15.
Trump Losing Patience With Iran: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Israel had consulted the Trump administration before renewing its operations in Gaza. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has warned Hamas on several occasions to release all of the remaining hostages immediately or there will be “hell to pay.” On March 17, following a second night of strikes on the Houthi rebels in Yemen — another Iranian proxy organization that has launched dozens of missile and drone attacks against Israel and terrorized commercial shipping in the Red Sea in “solidarity” with Hamas — Trump declared: “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”
FDD Expert Response
“Israeli strikes against Hamas and its allied terrorist groups have delivered promising results. However, Israel faces a challenging road ahead to maintain the necessary pressure on Hamas and secure the release of the hostages. The temporary ceasefire allowed Hamas to regroup in areas previously controlled by Israeli forces and partially rebuild its lost infrastructure. At this stage, Hamas’s strategy is to absorb IDF attacks while pursuing its goal of ending the war on its terms so that it retains control over the Gaza Strip once a permanent ceasefire is established.” —Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal
“President Trump has said that Hamas would have ‘hell to pay’ if the terror organization did not release the hostages it has held for over 500 days. Now that Hamas has failed to free hostages — including Americans — the White House has given Israel backing to use military tactics to put significant pressure on Hamas. Trump’s policy of no daylight between Washington and Jerusalem and his willingness to wield military force as an important tool in his negotiations with adversaries differentiates him from his predecessor and may yield different and better results.” —Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network
FDD Background and Analysis
“Can Hamas ever be defeated?” by Seth J. Frantzman
“‘Psychological Warfare’: Hamas Rejects U.S. Proposal, Israeli Delegation Called Back From Doha,” FDD Flash Brief
“‘Deadline for the Second Phase’: Citing Hostage Conditions, Witkoff Wants Timeframe,” FDD Flash Brief
“How the UN Got Away With Wildly Inflating the Casualty Numbers in Gaza—and the Media Bought It,” by David Adesnik
“Hamas-Run Gaza Health Ministry Admits to Flaws in Casualty Data,” FDD Flash Brief
Issues:
Iran-backed Terrorism Israel Israel at War