(18 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++PLEASE NOTE – EDIT CONTAINS PICTURES OF INJURED PEOPLE, INCLUDING CHILDREN++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tel Aviv, Israel – 18 March 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Mednick, Associated Press: ++SOUNDBITE IS OVERLAID BY SHOTS 2-6++
"Israel has launched a wave of surprise attacks across Gaza, throwing into jeopardy the two-month-old ceasefire. Early Tuesday morning you could hear airstrikes across the enclave, there were plumes of smoke in the air. Gaza’s ministry of health said dozens of people were killed and many more were injured. Israel said that it is doing this because of the lack of progress to extend ceasefire talks and it said that it will expand its operations. Phase One of the ceasefire has ended but Israel and Hamas have not been able to agree on a way forward for Phase Two. Hamas wants Israel to completely withdraw from the enclave before it returns the hostages. There are nearly 60 hostages that remain in Gaza. Israel said that it wants to completely destroy Hamas’s governing capabilities and it will not withdraw until it does so."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip – 18 March 2025
++NIGHT SHOTS++
2. Ambulance carrying injured Palestinians arriving at Nasser Hospital
3. Injured person on stretcher and children being carried into hospital
4. Mid of girl receiving first aid
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip – 18 March 2025
++NIGHT SHOTS++
5. Injured Palestinian being carried into Al Aqsa Hospital on stretcher
6. Pan of people gathered in front of hospital
STORYLINE:
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, saying it was striking dozens of Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January. Palestinian officials reported at least 235 deaths.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions.
The surprise attack shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed over 48,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza. It also raised questions about the fate of the roughly two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive.
In a statement, Hamas condemned what it called Israel’s “unprovoked escalation” and said it had put the fate of the hostages in jeopardy.
In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Associated Press reporters saw explosions and plumes of smoke. Ambulances brought wounded people, including women and children, to Nasser Hospital, where patients lay on the floor, some screaming.
Many Palestinians said they had expected a return to war when talks over the second phase of the ceasefire did not begin as scheduled in early February. Israel instead embraced an alternative plan.
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