Houthis launch missile at Israel, IDF kills terror officials in widespread strikes in Gaza

At around 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) started conducting dozens of extensive air strikes specifically on mid-level Hamas commanders and some senior Hamas political officials in Gaza. It was unclear if they were targeting senior Hamas commanders like Mohammed Sinwar, who might be holding Israeli hostages nearby.

Nearly eight hours after the IDF renewed the strikes, Hamas hasn't managed to fire a single rocket into Israel.

At around 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee sent out a message to Gaza residents to move further into Gaza, away from the border with Israel, to avoid being attacked as part of the renewed hostilities.

The red zone, defined as a combat zone by the IDF, wraps around all Gaza from north to south, seeming to cover between one-third to one-half of the Strip's area, including Beit Hanun, Harvat, Hazza, and Abasan.

More specifically, the IDF said that civilians should move to the western parts of Gaza City in the north and of Khan Yunis in the south. No more specific instructions were given in central Gaza.

The new Gaza operation seemed to come as a surprise across the world, but was it?

Already, multiple top Israeli sources have confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the timing of the operation was coordinated with that of the US.

However, defense sources have declined to confirm or deny whether the timing was planned to coincide with or fall after the American air strikes on the Houthis.

The municipality bomb shelters of Modiin, Herzliya, Rishon LeZion, Petah Tikva and Rehovot have been opened on Tuesday morning amid ongoing strikes in the Gaza Strip.

Even as the IDF has returned to a military operation in Gaza and potentially a return to a wider invasion, it still will not attack areas of Gaza where Israeli hostages are being held, The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Tuesday.

Defense sources will not get into which Hamas officials might or might not be holding hostages as human shields at this moment, as now deceased Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar did for much of the war, but the rule of not attacking areas where hostages are being held, which IDF officials have publicly confirmed for the entire war until now, has no exceptions.

Further, the military will also not target areas where there is potential doubt about hostages being nearby.

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) director Ronen Bar, and the Commanding Officer of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar commanded the strikes in Gaza from the IAF’s Underground Operations Center on Monday night.

The IDF released videos and photos from the command center, depicting the three men in deep discussion as the strikes took place.

Zamir has been in the role for just a few weeks, having replaced former IDF chief Herzi Halevi on 6 March.

Five senior Hamas members were allegedly killed in the IDF strikes on Gaza overnight, Israeli and Arab media reported on Tuesday, citing Palestinian reports.

On Monday night, the IDF began striking the Gaza strip, in a move that the Prime Minister's Office said was in response to Hamas's refusal to release the hostages still held in Gaza. 

On Tuesday morning, Hamas claimed that over 300 people have been killed so far. Palestinian media sources and Sky New Arabia reported that five Hamas officials were among the casualties and named them as Mahmoud Abu Watfa, the director-general of Hamas's Interior Ministry, Abu Obeidah Muhammad al-Jamasi, a member of Hamas' political bureau, Issam al-Daalis, a member of Hamas' political bureau, Ahmed Omar Al-Hatta, a senior leader, and Bahjat Abu Sultan - responsible for Hamas' internal security apparatus.

Israel began a new round of airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza overnight. The airstrikes began after midnight and continued overnight between March 17 and March 18. They represent the strongest strikes since the ceasefire that began in mid-January.

Hamas has claimed that Israel broke the ceasefire, but it is Hamas that sought to stall since March 1, when the first phase of the ceasefire ended.

Hamas believed it could achieve a ‘Ramadan ceasefire’ for the month of March and that it could rebuild its forces. It has been recruiting, and recent reports paint a picture of a terror group that still has up to 25,000 fighters. The group, however, lacks the firepower it had back on October 6, 2023, before its invasion of Israel.

Israel's Home Front Command has transitioned the Gaza border communities from full activity to limited activity, the IDF announced on Tuesday morning.

This follows the start of IDF strikes on Gaza on Monday night.

Due to the updated Home Front Command restrictions, educational activities in the area are not permitted, and gatherings in buildings are limited to 100 people.

Additionally, outside gatherings are now limited to 10 people.

HMC added that the policy is in effect from Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 02:00 until Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 20:00.

The prosecution has canceled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's testimony due to renewed fighting in the Gaza strip, the prosecution announced Tuesday morning.

Netanyahu is set to hold an emergency security cabinet meeting at 11:00.

For the last two months, there was a relatively set narrative for Gaza after phase one of the hostage deal: Either Israel and Hamas would reach an agreement on the second phase of a hostage deal and bring the war closer to its end, or the military, under its new aggressive chief, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir would open the gates of hell on Hamas.