The Israeli occupation has intensified its deadly assault on Gaza, killing over 420 Palestinians in a fresh wave of airstrikes that have devastated homes, hospitals, and government buildings. The attacks, which resumed on March 18, 2025, after nearly two months of ceasefire, have left entire families wiped out, with thousands more wounded. Israeli leaders have framed the offensive as a strike against Hamas, but the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the targeted killing of government officials suggest a wider campaign aimed at crippling governance in Gaza.

Among those assassinated in the attacks are Issam Al-Da’alis, head of the Government Work Follow-up Committee; Ahmed Al-Hatta, Deputy Minister of Justice; Mahmoud Abu Wafaa, Deputy Minister of Interior; and Bahjat Abu Sultan, Director General of Internal Security. These officials were central to maintaining order and essential services in a territory already suffering under a 17-year blockade. Al-Hatta’s wife and six children were also killed in the bombardment, further underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the Israeli strikes.

Israeli warplanes and artillery have pounded densely populated areas across Gaza, reducing entire neighbourhoods to rubble. Hospitals, already on the brink due to months of bombardment, are struggling to cope with the influx of casualties. The Israeli leadership, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yisrael Katz, has ordered the escalation under the pretext of retaliating against Hamas, but Palestinian factions have dismissed this as a manufactured justification for continued war crimes.

Hamas has condemned the assassinations and widespread targeting of civilians, holding Netanyahu responsible for what it describes as a coordinated effort to dismantle Palestinian governance. The movement has vowed that Israel’s crimes will not go unanswered, calling on the international community to intervene before more lives are lost. Meanwhile, human rights groups have warned that Gaza is facing total collapse, with water, electricity, and medical supplies at critically low levels.

As the occupation’s onslaught continues, Palestinians in Gaza are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered communities once again. The targeted killings of government officials, the destruction of public services, and the mass displacement of civilians signal a broader attempt to erase Gaza’s ability to function, leaving its people to endure yet another chapter of unrelenting aggression.