DUBAI, March 18. /TASS/. Palestinian extremist movement Hamas called Israel's decision to resume hostilities in the Gaza Strip a "death sentence" for the hostages, it said on its Telegram channel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "not only halted the delivery of food and medicine, but also bombed the children of Gaza, killing them while they were sleeping." "The occupier has not fulfilled its commitments to the mediators and to the entire world. Netanyahu has decided to resume the war of annihilation as a lifeline for himself from internal crises," the militant group said in a statement.
The movement pointed out that Israel's return to war is a decision to sacrifice prisoners and "condemn them to death." The Hamas representative said that Israel's actions "require that Arab and Islamic countries, as well as the international community, take actions to curb <...> violence and wars to destroy the civilian population."
The Israeli Air Force launched a series of strikes on the largest settlements of the Palestinian enclave, including Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south, the city of Jabalia in the north, and the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
In mid-January, Israel and Hamas with mediation from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, agreed to a ceasefire.
The first phase of the agreement ended on March 1, and on March 2, Israel blocked humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza and closed all checkpoints to the enclave.
On March 18, Israel carried out large-scale strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, while American Axios journalist Barak Ravid said on social media platform X, citing Netanyahu’s office that Israel had resumed military operations against Hamas in the enclave.