F.M. Shakil
Source: Al Mayadeen English
Israeli occupation forces resumed large-scale attacks on Gaza on March 18, killing over 410 civilians in a single day, amid continued US support and global condemnation.
The attacks targeted multiple cities in Gaza, including Gaza City in the north, Deir al-Balah in the center, and Rafah and Khan Younis in the south. These sites received some of the most severe onslaughts, contributing to the transformation of the surrounding environment into a desolate ecosystem.
At a time when the vulnerable children, women, ailing, and elderly Gazans were just waking up to eat suhoor in the blessed month of Ramadan, the occupying forces stormed with all kinds of weaponry, including quadrotor drones, helicopters, F-16 and F-35 jets, tanks, and armored vehicles, to inflict hell on the hapless population.
Was it pre-planned?
Not only did President Trump stir up controversy with these large-scale and unprecedented killings, but he was also well aware of the Gaza attacks early on Tuesday morning at around 2 a.m. local time. The US administration unambiguously expressed its full support for the Israeli atrocities.
Israeli circles report that President Donald Trump has authorized the resumption of major bombing in Gaza due to Hamas' refusal to comply with his directive to promptly release all Israeli prisoners.
"There will be consequences for anyone who tries to frighten not only Israel but also the US," White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt stated on Fox News.
Dr. Ghulam Ali, Deputy Director, of the Hong Kong Research Center for Asian Studies, told Al Mayadeen English that his initial impression is that “Israel” has complete and unconditional support from the US and the West.
“The whole war was backed by billions of dollars in US support and thousands of tons of uninterrupted supplies of ammunition. Regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats are in power, support for “Israel” has always been unconditional,” he stated. He said that “Israel” did not need any justification to wage war; unfortunately, this situation will likely persist as long as the global power structure—created by and favored by the West—stays intact.
The Zionist state avoids the second phase of truce
Speaking to a crowd from the Kirya army base in Tel Aviv, shortly after the slaughter of hundreds of defenseless Palestinians, Netanyahu unambiguously declared, "From this point forward, Israel will intensify its efforts against Hamas. Negotiations will now only take place amid intense battles. Hamas has already experienced the impact of our strength in the last day, and I want to reassure you: this is just the beginning."
The decision to resume major assaults against Gaza was made a week ago, according to Israeli media, and was not prompted by any immediate threats from Hamas. In an obvious attempt to justify blowing up the pact completely, “Israel”, which has broken the peace process many times since it went into force on January 19, has sought to impose additional terms.
Feeling dissatisfied with a purported backroom deal with the Trump administration that would have allowed it to resume hostilities if the ceasefire did not meet its needs, “Israel” rejected the idea of sending negotiators to discuss the specifics of the second phase of the Gaza agreement.
As per the agreement inked by “Israel”, those discussions were slated to kick off on February 3. In this second stretch of 42 days, Hamas gave the green light to release all the Israeli captives still in the Strip, while “Israel” was set to pull back all its remaining troops from Gaza.
Netanyahu was upfront that he would not follow any agreement beyond the first phase. He assured his national security cabinet that he would make every effort to secure the release of as many Israeli captives as possible, all the while avoiding the original terms for the second and third phases of the deal “Israel” had signed. Instead, “Israel” ignored the presence of senior negotiators in the technical talks and unexpectedly presented Hamas with unfamiliar terms and demands.
“Netanyahu’s choice to plunge back into conflict is akin to throwing the prisoners of the occupation under the bus, a veritable death sentence for them,” stated Izzat al-Risheq, a founding member of Hamas’s political bureau: “The adversary will not gain through warfare and devastation what it has been unable to secure through dialogue.”
Aidan J. Simardone, a Canadian immigration lawyer, columnist, and writer who specializes in global affairs, told Al Mayadeen English that “Israel” has been manipulating the ceasefire agreement. This is evident, he said, from the fact that, despite “Israel's” persistent efforts to disrupt the ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement, Hamas appears to be complying and operating in good faith.
Was Trump's peace initiative in the Middle East a political gimmick?
Analysts believe that President Donald Trump's initiative to bring peace to the region was politically motivated based on some transient motives. After achieving these objectives, Trump reverted to the traditional Pentagon tactics of unwavering financial and military support for "Israel."
"Trump initiated the ceasefire shortly after assuming power, primarily to prevent the turmoil in the Middle East from overshadowing his inauguration and initial days in office," Aidan tells Al Mayadeen English. Soon after, he noted, President Trump refocused his attention back on Ukraine and Russia, reverting to his earlier approach of supporting the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
“Before assuming office, his Middle East advisor, Steve Witkoff, put pressure on “Israel” to have the ceasefire done; otherwise, there would be consequences. This would not have happened if Harris had won a second term,” he observes. He said that “Israel” wanted to keep the genocide going so that it could satisfy the far-right population who were demanding continuous bloodshed in Gaza.
“It is deliberately exterminating Palestinians as part of its continuous expansion of the settler colony, and any political or presidential change in the US will not stop their designs,” he added.
Global condemnations
The world has been taken aback by the sheer scale of the bloodshed unleashed by the occupation forces on the Gazan population. The death toll—one of the biggest one-day counts—left both Arab and non-Arab nations scratching their heads in disbelief across the globe. Nearly every Arab nation, including Jordan and Egypt, which had been pivotal in brokering the truce, labeled the strikes as “aggressive and barbaric” and a “blatant breach” of the ceasefire.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, stated that Palestinians in Gaza are facing an “intolerable level of suffering,” while Philippe Lazzarini, the Head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, cautioned that resuming the war would unleash “hell on Earth."
Volker Türk, the UN's human rights chief, voiced his deep concern over the airstrikes and shelling that have taken a heavy toll, claiming hundreds of lives. "We must address this issue immediately," he demanded.
Türk underscored that the strikes would “pile tragedy upon tragedy,” calling for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages, including Palestinian detainees held by the Israelis. He advocated for a political solution that adheres to international law, highlighting that the past 18 months of turmoil have amply demonstrated that fighting our way out of this predicament is unfeasible. "Israel's” decision to increase military force will exacerbate the difficulties already faced by the Palestinian population," he stated.
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