Both Hamas and Israel have hardened their positions, making more conflict very likely
The Gaza Strip is taking stock of another month of devastation after the collapse of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and with little hope of a resolution to the war or the return of Israeli hostages seized by Hamas.
The war in Gaza has become one of the deadliest and most destabilizing conflicts of the 21st century since it began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
It has brought a broader regional escalation that has also pulled the United States into active military confrontation with Iranian-backed groups such as the Houthis in Yemen. The widening crisis has opened new fronts in the global power struggle with Russia and China, which seek to challenge U.S. influence in the region.
Israel resumed its military operations against Hamas on March 18, 2025 after a nearly two-month pause during a ceasefire to bring about the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Since March 18, 2025, over 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to more than 51,000, according to estimates from health authorities in Gaza on Wednesday.
The authorities in Hamas-run Gaza do not distinguish between civilian and military dead.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded over Israeli 300 airstrikes in Gaza during March 2025. The Israeli military reported Wednesday over a hundred « targeted eliminations » since March 18.
Hamas has continued to fire missiles into Israel, including launching around 10 rockets at southern Israel in one day.
