The skies above Gaza rarely fall silent these days. But since March 18th, the intensity of Israel’s bombardment has reached new heights of ferocity. As of Thursday, March 20th, Palestinian sources report that 77 Gazans have been killed across the Gaza Strip since dawn—50 in the northern Strip and 20 in the southern Strip. The grim tally of this renewed Gaza offensive now exceeds 470 deaths in just three days.
A bloody tally
The human cost of the renewed Gaza offensive is staggering. Israeli warplanes have carried out wave after wave of bombings on the southern Gaza Strip, targeting eastern Khan Younis and Rafah. Airstrikes have also struck western Beit Lahia in the north, resulting in numerous casualties, alongside ongoing artillery shelling.
Among the most devastating attacks was the bombing of the Abu Daqqah home near the European Hospital in Khan Younis, which resulted in approximately 15 fatalities, with all but two victims still trapped beneath the rubble. The bombing of the Abu Deeb home east of Khan Younis also caused multiple deaths and injuries. In Rafah, the bombing of the Majayda family home killed Abdulrahman Al-Majayda, his wife and all of their children.
The bombardment has been particularly intense in eastern Khan Younis, where seven people were killed in a strike on the Abu Deeb family home in Bani Suhaila. In a rare moment of hope amid despair, infant Ayla Osama Abu Daqqa was rescued from beneath the rubble after her family home in Abasan Al-Kabira was targeted, though the attack claimed eight lives, including both her parents.
The deadly toll of Israel’s renewed Gaza offensive continues to mount: several fatalities resulted from the targeting of Abdul Rahman al-Majayda’s home in Miraj; eight were killed in the strike on the Abu Daqqa family home; three died in the attack on the al-Amour family home in al-Fakhari; ten perished when the Jaber family home in Musbah, Rafah was hit; and seven were killed in the bombing of Abu Rami Abu Nasr’s home in the al-Sultan neighbourhood of western Beit Lahia.
The names published thus far of those killed include:
- Ahmed Hani Abu Daqqa
- Hani Awad Abu Daqqa
- Jana Ahmed Abu Daqqa
- Jawad Ahmed Abu Daqqa
- Qusai Adel Salem Abu Daqqa
- Ghina Hani Awad Daqqa
- Ghaida Ahmed Abu Daqqa
- Muhammad Hani Abu Daqqa
- Rida Harb Abu Daqqa
- Jude Hani Abu Daqqa
- Ali Abu Daqqa
- Abdul Hakim Abu Daqqa
- Mohammed Kamal Al-Amur
- Nasra Nasir Al-Amour
- Zahra Saeeda Al-Amour
- Ismail Jaber Hassan Jaber
- Lana Ismail Jaber Jaber
- Ataf Jaber
- Basma Jaber
- Ibrahim Jaber
- Nour Abdel Hakim Asfour
Additional strikes have included two American-funded missiles targeting agricultural lands northwest of Beit Lahia, and Israeli forces creating a “fire belt” in Khirbet al-Adas in Rafah.
UN facilities under fire
Israeli strikes have spared little, not even United Nations installations. Israeli forces bombed the headquarters of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in the central Gaza Strip, killing one foreign worker and seriously injuring five others. This attack on a clearly marked UN facility comes amid growing international anxiety about Israel’s adherence to the rules of war.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defence, describes a desperate situation: “It is difficult for crews to extract those under the rubble due to the lack of necessary equipment and fuel because of the ‘zionist’ siege.” He issued a stark warning: “The Gaza Strip is on the verge of famine after 18 consecutive days of crossing closure.”
The humanitarian catastrophe unfolds hour by hour. Israeli artillery continues to pound the northern Gaza Strip, while warplanes have bombed western and eastern Gaza City twice in the last half-hour alone. What began in October 2023 as a military response to Hamas‘s Operation Al-Aqsa Flood has evolved into what many observers now characterise as a “renewed genocidal operation” by Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government, with American support.
Political calculation behind military action
The timing of this escalation coincides with significant political manoeuvring in Israel. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right firebrand, has rejoined Mr Netanyahu’s cabinet following his party’s brief exit from the governing coalition, despite objections from Israel’s attorney general. This reconciliation occurred precisely as the renewed Gaza offensive began.
In a move that has even shocked Israel’s security establishment, Mr Netanyahu has ordered the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, widely seen as an attempt to consolidate power and redirect blame for the security failures of October 7th 2023. These rapid political shifts, which directly appease Israel’s far-right, have occurred simultaneously with military operations that have claimed 500 Palestinian lives in just 48 hours.
The prime minister’s decisions have not gone unchallenged. Thousands of settlers have staged protests across occupied Palestine, expressing anger over both the renewed aggression and Bar’s unilateral dismissal. Dissent has emerged even within Israel’s military ranks: a pilot was dismissed yesterday after publicly questioning the “purity of intentions” behind the resumed attacks on Gaza.
The plight of captives
Perhaps most damning are the voices of those who have experienced captivity in Gaza firsthand. Families of Israeli captives still held in Gaza have sent an urgent message to their leadership, emphasising that renewed bombings further endanger their loved ones. Those who were previously released through prisoner exchanges have expressed profound anxiety regarding the return to war.
One freed captive described the psychological impact: “My heart sank this morning. I will never forget when I heard explosions in captivity after negotiations broke down and realised I wouldn’t be returning.”
Another questioned the logic of Israel’s military strategy: “How can we continue fighting after everything we’ve revealed to you about captivity? The promises and threats we’ve repeatedly heard from resistance fighters will surely come true.”
The testimonies paint a vivid picture of life in captivity during bombardments:
“Hamas fighters always pay close attention to statements from our leadership. Any irresponsible remark immediately endangers us, the captives.”
“The IOF bombed the building next door…I thought I was dead.”
“The days when resistance fighters lost their friends were days when nobody could say a word.”
“When the planes began bombing, we looked at each other and realised it was over—we realised we weren’t getting out.”
“When there is no food, everyone goes hungry: captives and captors alike. Everyone living together suffers equally, no matter which side they are on. The same applies when there’s no air or when the bombs get closer; everyone feels it.”
These accounts contradict Mr Netanyahu’s renewed insistence that military pressure on Hamas will secure the captives’ return—a strategy that has repeatedly failed. Critics argue it serves merely as a pretext for continued military action, with little regard for those ostensibly being protected.
The toll mounts
As Israel’s renewed Gaza offensive enters its third day, the pattern is grimly consistent: more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and over 700 wounded—the majority of them children. Dozens remain trapped beneath the rubble, with rescue efforts hampered by equipment shortages and continued bombardment.
Mr Netanyahu’s government appears to be pursuing a military solution where none exists. Gaza remains defiant despite the relentless assault, while Israel finds itself trapped in an endless cycle of violence. For now, the prime minister’s political survival seems to take precedence over the lives of civilians in Gaza and even the safety of Israeli captives.
As international pressure mounts and dissent grows within Israel itself, the question remains: how many more must die before the calculus changes? For the people of Gaza, huddled in increasingly scarce places of refuge, that answer cannot come soon enough.
