Israel Calls Gaza Attack 'Just the Beginning' as 400 Palestinians Killed

March 19, 2025 | 01:35 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Israeli attack on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 400 Palestinian civilians. Israel has threatened that the attack is only the beginning.

As reported by Reuters, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he ordered the attack because Hamas rejected the proposal to extend the ceasefire. Netanyahu urged Gaza residents to stay away from danger and move to safer areas. He also blamed Hamas for any civilian casualties.

"From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing force. And from now on, negotiations will only take place under fire," he said. Netanyahu spoke from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.

"Hamas has already felt the blow of our arm in the last 24 hours. And I want to assure you: This is just the beginning," he said.

The Israeli attack has struck homes and tent camps from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at Gaza City on Tuesday night.

According to Al Jazeera, Israel has targeted most areas of Gaza, including Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, Gaza City in the north, and central areas such as Deir el-Balah, killing entire families in the process.

Talks on the second stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement have now stalled due to Israel's insistence on extending the first stage until mid-April.

Last week, Israel rejected Hamas' offer to release an American-Israeli dual citizen and the bodies of four deceased prisoners in exchange for commencing the second stage of negotiations. Hamas requested that Israel end the blockade imposed earlier this month.

Hamas has released about three dozen prisoners in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees since the ceasefire began.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire that has been in place since January 2025. The ceasefire offers a pause in the war for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza.

Hamas still holds 59 out of about 250 hostages. Hamas accuses Israel of jeopardizing mediator efforts to negotiate a permanent agreement to end the fighting. Hamas does not threaten to retaliate against Israel's attack.

The renewed outbreak of war in Gaza has angered former hostages and families still held in Gaza. Yarden Bibas, a released hostage whose wife and two small sons were killed while being held, said that Israel's return to the battlefield takes her back to Gaza. "Military pressure endangers hostages, an agreement brings them back," he said.

In Gaza, eyewitnesses said that Israeli tanks were firing at areas in Rafah in the south. Confused children sat next to bags filled with belongings, ready to flee.

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