[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

‘Desperate and scared’

Palestinians in Gaza were woken up by Israel unleashing a new wave of attacks on Gaza which killed at least 404 people and wounded 562.

www.thedailystar.net

‘Desperate and scared’
Palestinians react as entire families wiped out in strikes

Palestinians in Gaza were woken up by Israel unleashing a new wave of attacks on Gaza which killed at least 404 people and wounded 562.

The attacks on Tuesday not only shattered a period of relative calm in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but also the fragile ceasefire deal Israel had with Hamas.

Palestinians who had returned to their damaged and destroyed homes after the ceasefire came into effect were also targeted by Israel's relentless bombing as entire families were wiped out in seconds.

"We were shocked late at night to see strikes and attacks on Gaza like in the early days of the war," Momen Qoreiqeh, who lost 26 members of his family in the attacks, told Al Jazeera.

"I was with my family and suddenly there was a huge attack on our residential block. The attack killed so many people from my family, some of them we still haven't recovered from under the rubble."

Ahmed Abu Rizq, a teacher, recounted the initial hours of the Israeli attacks, which added to the state of sheer horror and panic being witnessed at the hospitals.

"We woke up frightened, hearing Israeli strikes everywhere in Gaza. If you're now in one of Gaza's hospitals, you will see blood everywhere," said Abu Rizq, adding that he had seen families arriving at hospital with the "remains of their children" in their hands.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said that Israel's strikes had once again turned Gaza into a "killing box".

"Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City is overwhelmed with the number of mass casualties arriving," said Mahmoud. "We've seen entire families [killed] brought here, including a family of 26, with women, children and elderly. We've seen a mother here, crying over the bodies of her two daughters.

"Last night's attacks prove again that there is no safe place across Gaza. People had gone back to bombed homes and evacuation centres, thinking it was going to be safe due to the ceasefire, but that was not the case. They were killed inside these very places."

Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told Al Jazeera that "every minute, a wounded person dies due to a lack of resources".

Reporting from Deir el-Balah in the centre of Gaza, Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary said the Health Ministry was calling for urgent blood donations owing to "severe shortages" in supplies.

"Health facilities are also short on basic medical supplies they need to treat the wounded, like gauze and painkillers," she said.

Existing shortages in hospitals have been exacerbated by Israel's barring of aid trucks, which have not been allowed to enter the territory for more than two weeks.

"Doctors are saying that this is a very big challenge," said Khoudary. "In addition, there is a shortage of fuel that is putting all medical facilities at risk of collapse.

"The expectation here was people would at least spend the last days of Ramadan without any air strikes. There are a lot of people missing and trapped under the rubble. Palestinians are desperate and parents are scared."​

 

[Saif]

Why has Israel resumed large-scale strikes on Gaza?

Israel has resumed large-scale attacks in Gaza with a wave of airstrikes and artillery fire against targets throughout the devastated territory. More than 400 have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to Palestinian authorities.

www.thedailystar.net

Why has Israel resumed large-scale strikes on Gaza?

Injured Palestinians mourn beside the body of a baby, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday. Photo: AFP

Israel has resumed large-scale attacks in Gaza with a wave of airstrikes and artillery fire against targets throughout the devastated territory. More than 400 have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to Palestinian authorities.

The casualties include some high-ranking Hamas officials and many civilians, including women and children. Hospitals and civil defence teams say they have been overwhelmed.

Israel has also issued evacuation orders for parts of northern and central Gaza close to the perimeter, suggesting that some kind of attack involving troops on the ground is imminent. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Palestinians in the territory who have only recently returned to their homes, often in ruins, are on the move again.

Why is it happening now?

The Israeli government has been threatening to launch an offensive for weeks. Israeli officials say targeting the Hamas leadership, which has re-emerged in recent weeks to again take control of Gaza, will bring about the release of more hostages. Many hostage families in Israel dispute this.

More practically, Israel now has capabilities it lacked six weeks ago. Ammunition stocks have been replenished – partly due to US deliveries – and new potential targets among Hamas' leaders identified. Planes and other equipment have been repaired. Troops have been rested.

What does this mean for the ceasefire?

The new offensive comes 16 days after the first of three phases of a ceasefire agreed in January ended. The three phases were supposed to lead to a definitive end to the war, a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Indirect talks to prevent a return to violence have stalled. Israel has proposed extending the first phase of the ceasefire by 30 to 60 days to allow for the release of more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Hamas has refused this.

What reasons are being cited for the new strikes?

Critics says Netanyahu never had any intention of moving to the second phase of the ceasefire, which would have meant Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, in effect leaving Hamas as its de facto ruler. Hamas has reasserted its control in recent weeks, humanitarian officials there say, with civilian officials returning to previous posts and the battered military wing finding thousands of new recruits.

A second reason cited is that Israel had the full backing of the Trump administration for renewed attacks against Hamas.

Then there are the domestic political factors. Netanyahu needs support from rightwing allies to win crucial votes in Israel's parliament in coming days and weeks, and to maintain his grip on power. These allies have fiercely opposed a permanent end to hostilities in Gaza, with one resigning from his ministerial post in protest at the January ceasefire. This vital support is now assured – at least in the short term.

Netanyahu is also on trial for corruption. If found guilty, he could face prison. On Tuesday, a court approved Netanyahu's request not to appear at a hearing on Tuesday "due to the renewal of the war", Israeli media reported.

What might happen next?

The grim reality is that the fragile two-month pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas is now over. Israeli officials have made clear that the strikes are merely the beginning of a potentially much broader offensive that will continue until Hamas releases the 59 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

However, the move will not be welcomed by Egypt, which played a key role in the ceasefire negotiations, as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

"The entire region is on the brink of something," said an al Jazeera correspondent, "Clearly, this humiliation of [Egyptian] President [Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi cannot go by with total impunity."​

 

[Saif]

Israeli strikes kill 413 in Gaza

Israel vowed on Tuesday to continue fighting in Gaza until all hostages are returned as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a ceasefire, with the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reporting more than 400 people killed.

www.newagebd.net

Israeli strikes kill 413 in Gaza
Agence France-Presse . Gaza City 19 March, 2025, 00:04

Palestinian youths salvage items from the destroyed house of the Qrayqea family in the Shujaiya district in eastern Gaza City on Tuesday following Israeli strikes at dawn. | AFP photo

Israel vowed on Tuesday to continue fighting in Gaza until all hostages are returned as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a ceasefire, with the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reporting more than 400 people killed.

Hamas accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to ‘resume war’ after an impasse in truce negotiations, and warned that the return to fighting could be a ‘death sentence’ for hostages still alive in Gaza.

The strikes were by far the biggest and deadliest since a truce took effect in January. Hamas has not responded to the strikes so far.

Netanyahu warned Hamas this month of consequences it ‘cannot imagine’ if it does not free hostages still in Gaza, and Israeli media reported on plans aimed at ramping up pressure on Hamas dubbed the ‘Hell Plan’.

The White House said Israel consulted US president Donald Trump’s administration before launching the wave of strikes, which the health ministry in Gaza said killed mostly women and children.

Netanyahu’s office said the operation was ordered after ‘Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators’.

‘Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,’ the statement said.

‘We will not stop fighting as long as the hostages are not returned home and all our war aims are not achieved,’ defence minister Israel Katz said.

Apart from the release of the remaining hostages, Israel’s other main war aim is to crush Hamas.

In a statement, Hamas said Israel had ‘decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement’.

‘Netanyahu’s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them,’ it said.

Hamas said the head of its government in Gaza, Essam al-Dalis, was among several officials killed in the strikes.

A Hamas official said the group was ‘working with mediators’ to stop the bombardment, while the movement blamed what it described as ‘unlimited’ US support for Israel for the deadly strikes.

In Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, AFP footage showed people rushing stretchers with wounded people, including young children, to the Nasser Hospital. Bodies covered with white sheets were also taken to the hospital’s mortuary.

Mohammed Jarghoun, 36, was sleeping in a tent near his destroyed house in Khan Yunis when he was woken by huge blasts.

‘I thought they were dreams and nightmares, but I saw a fire in my relatives’ house. More than 20 martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women.’

Ramez Alammarin, 25, described carrying children to hospital southeast of Gaza City.

‘They unleashed the fire of hell again on Gaza,’ he said of Israel, adding that ‘bodies and limbs are on the ground, and the wounded cannot find any doctor to treat them.’

Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza pleaded with Netanyahu to ‘stop the killing and disappearance’ of their loved ones, and called for a protest in front of the premier’s residence.

Brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the initial phase of the ceasefire took effect on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

That first phase ended in early March, and the two sides have been unable to agree on the next steps.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the bodies of 413 people had been received by Gaza hospitals.

‘A number of victims are still under the rubble and work is underway to recover them,’ it added.

Israel ordered all schools near the Gaza border to shut for fear of attack.

US envoy Witkoff told CNN on Sunday he had offered a ‘bridge proposal’ that would see five living hostages, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, released in return for freeing a ‘substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners’ from Israel jails.

Hamas had said it was ready to free Alexander and the remains of four others.

Witkoff said Hamas had provided ‘an unacceptable response’ and that ‘the opportunity is closing fast’.

During the first phase of the truce, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight deceased, and Israel freed around 1,800 Palestinian detainees.

Since then, Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase.

Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase which would involve the release of remaining living hostages, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces left in Gaza and the establishment of a lasting ceasefire.

Israel, however, seeks to extend the first phase until mid-April, insisting any transition to the second phase must include ‘the total demilitarisation’ of Gaza and the removal of Hamas.

The talks have been deadlocked, and Israel has cut aid and electricity to the territory.

Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, while before the overnight strikes, Israel’s retaliatory response in Gaza had killed at least 48,577 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the two sides.

Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

UN chief Antonio Guterres was ‘shocked’ by the renewed strikes, a spokeswoman said, while UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was ‘horrified’.

Both Russia and China warned against an escalation, while Egypt and Turkey condemned the violence.​

 

[Sharma Ji]

Gaza is gone, brozuddins.

finito, khallas.

all that remains is driving people out, and then rebuilding moar ashkenaz settler houses and cities.

I'll go when its all ready, sit pool side at the Trump international there and drink a beer.

 

[Saif]

Fresh Israeli aggression on Gaza: Dhaka expresses 'strongest condemnation'

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today issued a press release in this regard

www.thedailystar.net

Fresh Israeli aggression on Gaza: Dhaka expresses 'strongest condemnation'

The government today expressed its strongest condemnation and profound concerns over the resumption of Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today issued a press release in this regard.

The newly restarted offensive has resulted in extensive loss of innocent civilian lives, including children and women, and the further deterioration of the already dire humanitarian situation in the region, the press release said.

The ministry stated that this renewed cycle of violence represents a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and a grievous disregard for established ceasefire agreements.

Bangladesh unequivocally denounces the Israeli occupation forces' continued indiscriminate airstrikes on densely populated civilian areas, which have exacerbated human suffering and inflicted devastating consequences upon the defenseless Palestinian population, the foreign ministry said in the press release.

Through this statement, the government of Bangladesh urged Israel to immediately cease all military operations, exercise maximum restraint, and respect its obligations under international humanitarian law.

Bangladesh further called upon the international community, particularly the United Nations, to take urgent and decisive measures to ensure the cessation of hostilities, protect civilian lives, and facilitate the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to the besieged people of Gaza.

In the press released, the ministry reaffirmed Bangladesh's unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine along the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Bangladesh government also drew attention to the necessity of resuming dialogue aimed at a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, which remains a cornerstone for ensuring regional and global stability.

Bangladesh called upon all parties to prioritise the path of diplomacy and peaceful means to end the senseless violence and suffering that continue to afflict the Palestinian people.

According to the press release, Bangladesh remains committed to working with the international community towards achieving a durable solution to the Palestinian question that is consistent with the principles of international law, United Nations resolutions, and the aspirations of the Palestinian people for peace, dignity, and justice.​