Israel intensifies Gaza assault, Palestinians flee homes, death toll surpasses 500

Palestinians flee homes as Israel intensifies Gaza assault

Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia fled their homes with their belongings on March 21, 2025, as Israel intensified its renewed assault on the territory. Gaza's civil defence agency reported that 504 people had been killed since the bombardment resumed, including over 190 minors.

The renewed assault shattered the relative calm that had prevailed since a January 19 ceasefire. Israel stepped up its operations on Tuesday, citing a deadlock in indirect negotiations on the next steps in the truce.

A Palestinian source close to the ceasefire talks told AFP that Hamas had received a proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar for re-establishing a truce and exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The proposal also included the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been blocked by Israel since March 2.

Israel expands buffer zones, targets Hamas officials

Israeli forces continued their advance, seizing more territory in Gaza and expanding buffer zones around the territory to protect Israeli civilians and soldiers. They also threatened to implement a permanent Israeli occupation of the area if Hamas did not comply with their demands.

The military urged residents of southern Gaza to evacuate their homes ahead of a threatened strike. Images from the area showed donkey carts piled high with belongings as residents fled their homes along rubble-strewn roads.

Israeli forces also targeted Hamas officials, killing the head of Hamas's military intelligence in southern Gaza in a strike a day earlier.

International condemnation and protests

The resumption of large-scale military operations drew widespread condemnation. Turkey's foreign ministry condemned the attack on a Turkish-built hospital in Gaza, while the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza condemned the bombing of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only hospital designated for the treatment of cancer patients in the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of protesters rallied in Jerusalem, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of resuming military operations without regard for the safety of the hostages.

Hostage situation remains unresolved

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, 58 are still held by Gaza militants, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. The Israeli military has closed off the territory's main north-south route as it expands ground operations.