March 18: Tens of thousands in Tel Aviv protest government bids to oust AG, Shin Bet chief

Israeli jets targeted former Syrian army outposts in the central Homs province, two security sources say.

10:38 pm

Ex-Mossad chief: Protracted hostage releases a ‘disgraceful fraud that led to Judenrat-like selektzia’

By Noam Lehmann

Israelis attend a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on March 18, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon, who emcees the anti-government rally at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, cites police figures saying some 40,000 people attended, making it one of the largest such demonstrations since September.

The rally features speeches from Roni Alsheich, Tamir Pardo and Yoram Cohen — respectively the former chiefs of police, Mossad and Shin Bet — as well as Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, and Rafi Ben Shitrit, whose son Elroi, 20, was killed fending off the Hamas onslaught on October 7, 2023.

Amid a criminal and Shin Bet probe of alleged ties between Hamas backer Qatar and top aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Alsheich accuses the premier of letting Qatar serve as a ceasefire mediator precisely so Hamas will stay in power and serve as a counterweight to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

“Qatar’s strategic aim is maintaining Hamas rule,” says Alsheich. “The hostages are a pawn of the Qataris toward that aim.”

He says he began harboring the suspicion early in the war, but “the question marks became exclamation points” when Netanyahu earlier this month announced plans to oust Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara days after the two announced the probe into Netanyahu’s aides.

Alluding to the premier’s ongoing corruption trial, Pardo assails the “criminal suspect and dictator Netanyahu” for the surprise overnight airstrikes across the Gaza Strip that scuttled the shaky ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

“The ‘peace for Netanyahu’ war has begun,” says Pardo. The “coward, charlatan and liar” is putting Israel on track to self-destruction, Pardo further charges.

“We won’t forgive and won’t forget the abandonment of the country’s defense,” says Pardo. “You, the suspect Benjamin Netanyahu, pose a clear and present danger to the nation’s security.”

He twice accuses Netanyahu of selektzia — a Holocaust-era term used to describe Germany’s distinction between Jews deemed fit for hard labor and those sent straight to the slaughter.

The Haredi draft exemption, says Pardo, is “selektzia of blood from blood.” The protracted hostage releases under the Gaza ceasefire deal, he continues, were a “disgraceful fraud that led to Judenrat-like selektzia between hostages,” a reference to Jews empowered by Nazi Germany to choose whom to send to death camps.

“The fraud, deceit and lies will be remembered forever,” says Pardo.

Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo addresses a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on March 18, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

The speeches by Pardo and Alsheich speeches are frequently broken up by jeers and chants of “traitor.”

Cohen, in his speech, asks the audience not to use the word, drawing boos.

Though Cohen also slams Netanyahu’s latest maneuvers, the crowd is displeased with his use of qualifying phrases.

“It’s my understanding,” he says, to annoyed murmurs from the crowd, “that the real existential threat is not Hamas and Hezbollah but those who seek to change Israel’s democratic character.”

Tibon later repeats Cohen’s request that the crowd not call Netanyahu a traitor but is no more successful than the former Shin Bet chief.

Tibon introduces both Ben Shitrit and Zangauker as models of bravery, telling the latter that “I’m a general in the military, but in your struggle to bring back Matan and the other hostages, we’re all your troops and will go where you tell us.”

As Ben Shitrit gets up to speak, the audience chants: “You’re not alone — we’re with you!” The bereaved father takes Netanyahu to task for refusing to convene a state commission of inquiry into failures leading up to the Hamas onslaught, which repeated polls have shown Israelis overwhelmingly support.

The premier, whose government is working to weaken the judiciary, claims such a committee would be skewed against him, since it would be headed by a former Supreme Court justice and its members appointed by Chief Justice Isaac Amit, who the government is boycotting.

Ben Shitrit says a state commission is vital. “How will we mend if we don’t know what we’ve broken, how will we improve if we don’t know where we’ve failed, [and] how will we heal if we don’t know what’s ailing us?”

He says the country’s priorities should be “citizens before the government, kingdom before the king, democracy before politics.”

“We’ll go back to being a model society based on the vision of the prophets of Israel, the conceivers and founders of the Zionist project,” says Ben Shitrit.

In the final speech of the evening, Zangauker urges the crowd to join the hostage families’ encampment outside the IDF’s Kirya headquarters a few blocks away, “where Netanyahu thinks he’ll run the war from.”

“You need to be with me,” she says. “If there are thousands of tents encircling the Kirya, he won’t have a choice but to end the war and bring everyone home.”

She accuses Netanyahu of violating the ceasefire agreement and renewing the war for political reasons.

Paraphrasing US President Donald Trump’s threats against Hamas if it failed to release the hostages, Zangauker says: “Netanyahu didn’t open the gates of hell on Hamas today. He opened the gates of hell on our loved ones.”

10:09 pm

Sa’ar speaks to European FMs about Gaza strikes: Only targeting terror operatives and sites

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar discusses Israel’s operations in Gaza with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and other European counterparts, says his office.

According to the Israeli readout, Sa’ar stresses that Israel accepted the US proposals for a ceasefire while Hamas rejected them and that Israel is only targeting terrorist operatives and sites.

He also tells the European diplomats that Israel is determined to achieve its war aims and that stability in the Middle East can only come about with the defeat of Iran and its axis.

9:55 pm

Senior Arab diplomat from mediating country: PM chose politics over continued ceasefire

A senior Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries tells The Times of Israel that “political considerations” are what led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the ceasefire with Hamas.

The diplomat declines to elaborate, but says, “even many Israelis see what’s going on,” an apparent reference to the protests against the government taking place around the country tonight.

The two Arab mediating countries — Egypt and Qatar — have already come out against Israel for resuming the war last night, breaking with the other mediator, the United States, which blamed Hamas for the breakdown of the truce.

Critics of Netanyahu accuse him of refusing to abide by the hostage deal he signed in January in order to remain in power, given that his far-right coalition partners have threatened to collapse the government if Israel did not resume fighting.

Netanyahu argues that he had been willing to extend the ceasefire but Hamas refused repeated hostage deal offers that would have allowed for the truce to continue.

Hamas maintains that it will only release hostages through the phase two framework of the January deal, which requires a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. That framework was put forward by Netanyahu himself last spring.

9:48 pm

Gal Gadot receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Gal Gadot poses with her new star at a ceremony honoring her on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Israeli actress Gal Gadot receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first Israeli actress to be granted such an honor.

In her speech at the event, Gadot refers several times to her Israeli roots. “I’m just a girl from Israel,” she says, drawing loud cheers from her supporters in the audience. “To all the young people, especially the young girls, if a girl from Rosh Ha’ayin can get a star on Hollywood Boulevard, anything is possible.”

Gadot also addresses her Israeli family in Hebrew, saying that she loves them, even though they are far away.

Gadot kicked off her international career in the “Fast and Furious” film franchise and shot to fame as the star of the “Wonder Woman” films.

The ceremony comes days before Disney’s new version of “Snow White,” in which Gadot stars as the evil queen, is scheduled to open in theaters in the US. Anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists have called for a boycott of the movie because of Gadot’s participation, and tension has surrounded the press tour after her co-star, Rachel Zegler, promoted the film with a “Free Palestine” hashtag.

Several dozen anti-Israel protesters gathered outside the event, and some lightly scuffled with police. A small group of pro-Israel protesters also showed up.

9:46 pm

Religious Zionism proposes law to bar Israel from releasing more than 1 terrorist per freed hostage

Religious Zionism MKs are advancing a bill under which no more than one terrorist could be released for one hostage, Channel 12 reports.
The bill also states that no living terrorists could be freed for slain hostages.

MK Ohad Tal, who is proposing the law, is quoted telling Channel 12 news that the bill “does not relate to the current deal,” and is intended to “deter our enemies from carrying out further abductions in the future.”

Families of hostages are bitterly opposed to the bill, the report says, fearing it would doom their loved ones.

9:23 pm

Blasts and air raid sirens heard in Kyiv after Trump’s call with Putin

By AFP

Explosions are ringing out and air raid sirens sounding over the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, AFP journalists report, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 30-day halt to strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Kyiv authorities urge residents of the capital to take cover in shelters, citing the threat of a Russian aerial attack, while AFP reporters hear blasts sounding over the city.

9:17 pm

UAE condemns Israel over Gaza strikes, warns of repercussions from military escalation

The United Arab Emirates condemns fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza and warns about the repercussions of military escalation, state news agency WAM reports.

9:02 pm

PM insists his ‘heart is with the hostages and their families,’ denies politics motivated return to fighting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a televised address about Israel's decision to resume airstrikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, March 18, 2025. (Screenshot/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists in a televised address from Tel Aviv that Israel “will continue to fight” until all of its war goals are achieved in Gaza — returning all the hostages, destroying Hamas, and ensuring Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel.

He says, “My heart, all of our hearts, are with the hostages and their families.”

“They are going through an inhuman nightmare every day, every minute,” he says of the hostages still in Gaza. He states that his commitment is to work tirelessly to free all the hostages, living and dead.

As he often does, Netanyahu blasts the press for “lies” and denies any political considerations were behind the resumed military operation in Gaza.

“They have no shame, they have no red lines,” he asserts, referring to critics in the media. “They simply echo Hamas’s propaganda time and time again,” he argues. “So I want to say to Hamas — don’t rely on this. Because nothing will stop us from achieving all the goals of the war.”

He praises the IDF and other branches of the security establishment, including the Shin Bet, whose director Ronen Bar he has told he intends to fire this week.

Regarding the fighting in Gaza, Netanyahu insists that “military pressure is a necessary condition” for further hostage releases. “Hurting Hamas militarily and the freeing of our hostages are not contradictory goals. They are goals that complement each other.”

On the ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen at Israel earlier today, Netanyahu says that he “greatly appreciates” US military cooperation against the “Iranian axis in Yemen.”

“We still have a great deal of work to do against other parts of the axis of evil,” he says before his customary sign-off that a unified Israel will defeat its enemies. “With God’s help, united we will act, and united we will win.”

8:54 pm

Pledging to use growing force against Hamas, Netanyahu says ‘from now on’ hostage talks ‘will be conducted only under fire’

Israel has returned to intensive combat against Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a televised address, adding that the intelligence services and IDF recommended the course of action and that it was a last resort after weeks of failed efforts to get Hamas to free more hostages.

According to Netanyahu, the terror group turned down all proposals to release more of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. He says Israel “extended the ceasefire for weeks during which we did not receive hostages” in order to exhaust all the chances for Hamas to end its obduracy.

Speaking in a recorded video statement released during primetime evening news broadcasts, after massive Israeli airstrikes in Gaza overnight, he says Israel sent delegations to Doha and Cairo, to no avail.

While Israel accepted US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal for hostages to be freed and the ceasefire extended, he goes on, “Hamas rejected every proposal, time after time.”

The hostage-ceasefire deal finalized in Doha in January provided for 33 hostages — 25 of them alive — to be released in a 42-day first phase, in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire. The phase was carried out from January 19. But the deal also provided for negotiations on a second phase, during which remaining living hostages would be freed, the IDF would fully withdraw from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire would take effect. Netanyahu has sought instead to extend the ceasefire and secure more hostage releases without entering phase two, and Hamas has refused.

Netanyahu says that he always promised that if Hamas remained implacable, the military campaign would resume.

“And indeed, we have gone back to fighting,” Netanyahu says “We have gone back to fighting with force.”

Netanyahu declares that Israel will now operate with steadily growing force against Hamas.

“From now on,” Netanyahu continues, “negotiations will be conducted only under fire.”

“This is only the beginning,” Netanyahu warns Hamas.

8:42 pm

AG says Netanyahu can’t fire Shin Bet chief without recommendation of appointments panel

L to R: Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, February 13, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the District Court in Tel Aviv, before the start of his testimony in the trial against him, March 12, 2025. (Tomer Appelbaum/POOL); Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, on July 14, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he cannot fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar until he receives a recommendation on the matter from the key Senior Appointments Advisory Committee.

In a sharply worded letter to Netanyahu in response to an angry missive he sent the attorney general yesterday, Baharav-Miara tells the premier that he cannot even hold a cabinet meeting on firing Bar due to the need for the advisory committee’s input.

The Senior Appointments Advisory Committee vets candidates for seven of the country’s most critical civil service positions, and a 2016 cabinet resolution stipulates that the committee must sign off on the dismissal of any official that the panel previously approved.

Baharav-Miara says that firing the head of the Shin Bet is “unprecedented” and requires “an orderly and proper process on a solid factual foundation” for Bar to receive an opportunity to present his response to the claims against him.

The attorney general adds that such claims could not be made for the first time in the hearing given to the Shin Bet chief.

Baharav-Miara also rejects Netanyahu’s assertion in his letter that she ordered an investigation by the Shin Bet and police into possible illicit ties between the prime minister’s senior aides and Qatar after she learned that Netanyahu was considering firing Bar.

Members of the coalition have alleged that the attorney general opened the so-called Qatar-gate investigation in order to stymie Netanyahu’s desire to fire Bar, on the grounds that he could not be dismissed by the prime minister while he was investigating his aides.

“The order of events speaks for itself: first an investigation was opened, on the basis of information that was received, and only afterwards did you announce your intention to fire the head of the Shin Bet,” Baharav-Miara tells Netanyahu.

8:36 pm

WATCH: Gal Gadot honored with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

8:36 pm

Thousands rally in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu over plans to oust AG and Shin Bet chief

By Noam Lehmann

Some 3,000 people cram into Tel Aviv’s Habima Square for a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to oust Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar amid a probe into the premier’s top aides alleged ties to Qatar, which is a leading sponsor of Hamas.

Referring to Netanyahu, protesters broadcast the words, “Mr. Abandonment” on the adjacent national theater building.

The protest is organized by the group “Protective Wall for Israel,” which bills itself as bringing together 169 former top officials from the military, police, Mossad and Shin Bet. Tonight’s protest is set to feature speeches from Roni Alsheich, Tamir Pardo and Yoram Cohen — former chiefs of police, Mossad and Shin Bet, respectively — as well as Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker and a fierce critic of Netanyahu.

Moshe Ya’alon, a former IDF chief who served as defense minister under Netanyahu and later became a critic of the premier, mills around the crowd wearing a “Protective Wall for Israel” shirt.

Upbeat Israeli rock songs play ahead of the speeches. Protesters chant: “The time has come to topple the dictator.”

8:34 pm

‘They’re not posters, they’re people’: Freed hostages warn of risk to captives as fighting resumes

From left to right: Freed hostages Aviva Siegel, Keith Siegel, Yarden Bibas, Iair Horn, Yocheved Lifshitz and Sasha Troufanov attend a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, March 18, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Freed captives Sasha Troufanov, Iair Horn and Keith Siegel make public remarks at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, reacting to the resumption of IDF airstrikes against Hamas that ended the fragile Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Freed hostage Yarden Bibas is also present, as is former captive Yocheved Lifshitz, whose husband Oded was killed in Hamas captivity.

All three speakers call for a return to talks, asking the mediating countries to help bring the sides back to the negotiating table.

Troufanov, who spent 498 days in Palestinian Islamic Jihad captivity, says that military action endangers the remaining hostages but decision-makers are not taking this risk into account.

“I can’t stop thinking about my friends who are still there,” says Troufanov, mentioning brothers Ariel Cunio and David Cunio.

Bibas, who was also released during the recent ceasefire, stands behind Troufanov wearing a shirt and holding signs featuring the faces of the Cunio brothers, his longtime friends from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Yarden Bibas in Hostages Square, March 18, 2025 (Paula Patimer / Hostages Families Forum)

“There was a deal that brought me home, and a second phase was supposed to start,” says Troufanov. “What happened to phase two? Why are we abandoning them? The hostages… are not posters, they’re people, and their time is running out.

Horn, tears up as he speaks about his brother, Eitan Horn, who was also taken captive with him from Kibbutz Nir Oz and left behind in Gaza when Iair was freed.

“The military pressure won’t save them,” says Horn, as he turns around and points to the other freed hostages. “We know this from our very bodies.”

“My little brother Eitan was left behind there in the hell and I feel,” Horn says, swallowing hard. “A third of me is left behind in Gaza. All the [Hamas propaganda] videos that you’ve seen of me and Eitan, of Matan Angrest, of Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Eviatar David, all the videos were signs of life and I hope they don’t become their final videos, because of the return to fighting.”

The final speaker is Siegel, who is accompanied by his wife, ex-hostage Aviva Siegel.

Siegel speaks in Hebrew and then in English, describing some of the cramped spaces and underground conditions in which he was held, deprived of air, light, sanitation, sufficient food or water.

“I lived in constant uncertainty, not knowing who among my family and friends had survived on October 7,” he says. “My survival depended on armed terrorists. I witnessed firsthand acts of brutality — violence and cruelty that I never imagined possible between human beings in this day and age.”

Siegel says that the collapse of the ceasefire brings renewed fear for the 59 remaining hostages and their families.

“President Trump, I am eternally grateful that you helped bring me home from captivity. I know you will not stop your efforts to secure the release of the 59 remaining hostages. We call on all mediators and the international community to exert maximum pressure on Hamas and all negotiating parties to resume talks and secure the immediate release of every hostage. Time is running out. We must act now.”

8:14 pm

Houthis claim ballistic missile targeted Nevatim air base

By Nurit Yohanan and Emanuel Fabian

The Houthis claim they attacked the Nevatim air base with a ballistic missile.

The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, says the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group targeted the base in the Negev with a Palestine-2 ballistic missile.

He adds that the Houthis will expand their target bank in the near future if the fighting in Gaza does not stop.

According to the military, the Houthi missile was shot down by the long-range Arrow air defense system over Saudi Arabia.

8:13 pm

In Rafah, Zamir says IDF fighting in Gaza with ‘full commitment to returning hostages’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) and IDF Gaza Division chief Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram (left) meet with troops in southern Gaza's Rafah, March 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah earlier today, as the military launched a surprise aerial bombing campaign against Hamas.

“Your mission is to protect the communities here. We are in an ongoing action against Hamas, alongside a full commitment to return the hostages,” Zamir says.

8:01 pm

IDF says it took the hostages into account when launching overnight Gaza strikes

The Israeli Air Force’s wave of airstrikes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip early this morning lasted less than 10 minutes, according to the military.

At 2:10 a.m. the order was given, and fighter jets dropped their bombs on numerous targets within two minutes, while drone and attack helicopter strikes took another eight minutes.

In all, the IDF says some 80 targets were struck in the wave of strikes.

The initial wave of strikes targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, members of the terror group’s politburo, and its infrastructure, according to the military. Islamic Jihad members and infrastructure were also targeted.

At least four senior Hamas officials were killed in the strikes.

Targets hit during the day included cells of terror operatives, rocket launching positions, weapons, and other military infrastructure, the military has said.

The IDF says the strikes were launched after Hamas planned to carry out attacks on army positions in the Israeli-held buffer zone in Gaza and inside Israel.

The strikes were planned in advance, and the IDF says it took into account the hostages being held by Hamas. Military representatives spoke with the families of hostages overnight and updated them on the developments.

The IDF has repeatedly said amid the war it does not target areas in Gaza where it suspects hostages are being held. Still, some hostages have been killed by Israeli strikes, according to the IDF’s investigations.

The wave of strikes early this morning, and additional attacks throughout the day, are only a first stage in Israel’s plans to deal blows to Hamas.

The IDF says it has different plans for Gaza at different levels of intensity, which it has been presenting to the political echelon.

Earlier today, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas that Israel’s actions would “intensify.”

7:46 pm

White House says Trump and Putin discussed ‘potential cooperation’ in Mideast

During their phone call, US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “spoke broadly about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts,” the White House says in its readout.

“They further discussed the need to stop the proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible application,” the readout continues.

“The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel,” it adds

7:45 pm

British FM and ambassador condemn resumed fighting in Gaza, urge diplomatic solution

British Foreign Minister David Lammy and the UK Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters criticize the renewed Israeli strikes in Gaza, emphasizing the need for diplomacy over continued conflict.

“We all want to see Hamas defeated and we are desperate for the hostages to return home,” writes Walters on X, “but renewed IDF operations in Gaza will achieve neither of those aims. Instead, there will be more death: of hostages, of Palestinian civilians, of IDF soldiers.”

“At some point the fighting has to stop and the diplomacy begin. That point is now,” Walters adds.

Lammy also posts a statement to X, saying that, “The civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight are appalling. All parties must re-engage with negotiations to get hostages out, surge aid, and secure a permanent end to this conflict. Diplomacy, not more bloodshed, is how we get security for Israelis and Palestinians.”

Lammy’s comments come a day after he told the British House of Commons that Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza violates international law.

Earlier today, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer distanced himself from Lammy’s remarks yesterday. According to Politico, Starmer’s spokesperson described Israel’s actions as a “clear risk” but stressed that determining illegality is the role of international courts

7:41 pm

Citing legal difficulties, AG says PM can’t appoint Ben Gvir as police minister ‘at this time’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)

In a terse statement to the press, the Attorney General’s Office says that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “from a legal perspective, it is not possible to appoint” Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir as national security minister “at this time.”

Baharav-Miara is likely referring to her concerns regarding the legality of Ben Gvir’s actions and behavior when he was serving as national security minister before he quit the government over the ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

In November last year, the attorney general wrote to Netanyahu telling him he must reevaluate Ben Gvir’s tenure, in light of his repeated and ongoing intervention into operational police matters, which the High Court previously told him he must refrain from, and his politicization of police promotions.

She also noted at the time that when the High Court of Justice rejected petitions against Ben Gvir serving as a cabinet minister in 2024, it placed considerable weight on his statement that despite his previous criminal convictions, he had changed his ways.

Before entering politics, Ben Gvir was convicted of a series of security-related offenses.

Ben Gvir is expected to be installed as national security minister once again, with a slew of petitions likely to be filed against the appointment that will probably cite the several occasions he apparently violated High Court orders while serving in the post.

7:16 pm

Turkey’s Erdogan calls Israel ‘a terror state that feeds on blood’

By AFP

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan brands Israel a “terror state” following the most intense Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since a fragile ceasefire took effect last month.

“The Zionist regime has once again shown that it is a terror state that feeds on the blood, lives and tears of the innocent with its brutal attacks on Gaza last night,” Erdogan says at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner.

7:11 pm

Military says air defenses intercepted Houthi ballistic missile

A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military says.

There are no reports of injuries or damage in the attack. The IDF says the missile was shot down before crossing the country’s borders.

Sirens had sounded in Beersheba, Dimona, and numerous other towns in southern Israel.

It marks the first Houthi attack on Israel since January 18, right before the ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip.

The Iran-backed group had threatened to resume its attacks on Israel last week.

6:59 pm

Ballistic missile fired from Yemen at Israel, triggering sirens in the south

A ballistic missile has been launched from Yemen at Israel.

Sirens are sounding in the south of the country.

The IDF is looking into the details.

6:46 pm

Rescued hostage Noa Argamani laments resumption of Gaza strikes: ‘All hopes explode’

Rescued hostage Noa Argamani attends an emergency conference on the medical condition of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip at the President's Residence, in Jerusalem, on December 10, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/ Flash90)

Rescued hostage Noa Argamani responds to Israel’s resumed strikes in Gaza, urging action to save those still in captivity.

Upon hearing the news of last night’s renewed campaign, Argamani writes on X that “all hopes explode in an instant” for the return of the remaining hostages.

She addresses her partner, hostage Avinatan Or, saying, “I’m sorry, Avinatan… for 529 days, you haven’t seen daylight. I’m sorry that you were left behind.”

Fighting Resumes

Two words, and so many emotions inside. Suddenly, out of the silence, all hopes explode in an instant.

Two words, but for the hostages inside, they mean explosions and noises that bring back the fear of dying.

I remember how, in November '23, we heard the word…

— Noa Argamani (@ArgamaniNoa) March 18, 2025

Argamani, who was rescued and brought back to Israel by the IDF last June, recalls her own captivity in Gaza, describing how the end of the weeklong November 2023 ceasefire ended her hope of returning home: “Suddenly, all the dreams of going home, of hugging family and friends — shattered in an instant…One moment, the ceasefire was gone, and with it, the hope that I would get out of there alive.”

“Too many hostages who were taken alive — were murdered in captivity. We must save every living soul!,” says Argamani.

“This is our mission. We cannot leave them behind.”

6:39 pm

Cabinet to convene at 9 p.m.; official says ministers won’t vote tonight to fire Ronen Bar

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives an address at 8 p.m., he will receive a briefing on the hostages in Gaza.

At 9 p.m. he will convene his cabinet for a meeting in Jerusalem.

However, ministers will not vote on the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, says an Israeli official.

6:27 pm

Air force dismisses reservist navigator for saying ‘the state again abandoned its citizens’

An Israeli Air Force reservist navigator who posted on social media this morning that he would not show up for reserve duty because of the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip, has been dismissed from the military.

The reservist, Alon Gur, wrote in his post that he told his superiors that “a line was crossed; at the point where the state again abandons its citizens in broad daylight; in which the cynical and cold political considerations exceed every other consideration; where human life has lost their value; where a government assassinates its own gatekeepers in every way possible; where the king becomes more important than the kingdom; No more.”

The IDF in response says: “The aircrew member’s reserve service was permanently terminated.”

6:25 pm

Sa’ar says Gaza strikes to continue ‘over the coming days’

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar Gordon speaks in Jerusalem to members of AIPAC's board of directors, March 18, 2025 (Mordechai Gordon/Foreign Ministry)

Speaking in Jerusalem to members of AIPAC’s board of directors, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says the decision to resume attacks in Gaza was made “several days ago,” adding that the strikes will continue beyond today.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff “made two different proposals and Hamas rejected both of them,” says Sa’ar. “We found ourselves at a dead end, with no hostages released and no military action. This is a situation that cannot continue.”

“This is not a one day attack,” Sa’ar emphasizes, adding that the operation would continue “over the coming days.”

6:21 pm

IDF says it killed Hamas’s de facto PM in Gaza and other top officials

The IDF announces that it eliminated the de-facto prime minister of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and several other top officials in the terror group today.

Hamas earlier announced the deaths of Issam Da’alis, the head of the governmental activity monitoring committee, a position roughly akin to prime minister; Ahmad al-Khatta, the director-general of Hamas’s justice ministry; Mahmoud Abu Watfa, who headed the terror group’s interior ministry, responsible for Hamas’s police and internal security services in Gaza; and Bahjat Abu Sultan, head of Hamas’s internal security forces.

צה״ל ושב"כ תקפו ביממה האחרונה עשרות רבות של מטרות טרור ומחבלים מארגון הטרור חמאס ברחבי רצועת עזה, בהם מפקדים בדרגי ביניים ובכירים בזרוע המדינית של ארגון הטרור חמאס. זאת במטרה לפגוע ביכולות הצבאיות והשלטוניות של ארגון הטרור חמאס ולהסרת איום על מדינת ישראל ואזרחיה>> pic.twitter.com/fQWs9v4RFr

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 18, 2025

In a statement, the IDF says it targeted and killed those four senior Hamas officials, as part of a wide-scale bombing campaign against dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip since early this morning.

The strikes have targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, members of the terror group’s politburo, and its infrastructure. Islamic Jihad members and infrastructure have also been targeted.

The IDF says the strikes are aimed at “causing a blow to the military and governmental capabilities of the Hamas terror organization, and remove a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Da’alis, the de-facto Hamas prime minister, had replaced Rawhi Mushtaha following his killing by Israel in July 2024.

The military says that as part of his role, Da’alis was “entrusted with the functioning of the Hamas terror regime in the Gaza Strip” and coordinating all the branches of the organization.

The IDF says it can also confirm that al-Khatta, Abu Watfa, and Abu Sultan were killed in airstrikes today.

6:17 pm

Police arrest suspect in Rahat shooting that wounded 2

By Charlie Summers

Police this evening arrested a suspect they believe was involved in a shooting that wounded two people in the southern Bedouin city of Rahat earlier today.

Magen David Adom paramedics took both victims, one of whom is moderately wounded and the other lightly injured, to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba at around noon.

A law enforcement spokesperson says the incident was criminal rather than terror-related. The arrest marks a relatively quick turnaround for police, who often struggle to locate suspects in murder cases within Arab communities.

6:10 pm

IDF eases some restrictions on civilians in southern Israel

Amid the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip, the IDF Home Front Command is easing some restrictions on civilians in southern Israel.

Following an assessment, the Home Front Command has adjusted the activity scale in the Gaza border communities and some towns in the Western Negev and Western Lachish regions from “limited activity” to “partial activity.”

This will allow schools and workplaces to operate as usual, provided an adequate bomb shelter can be reached in time.

Gatherings are now limited to 100 people outdoors and 500 people indoors, though beaches remain closed, according to the latest Home Front Command guidelines.

6:10 pm

Blood donations sought as Health Ministry and Magen David Adom warn of shortage

By Diana Bletter

Due to a shortage of blood units, the Health Ministry and Magen David Adom urge the public to donate blood at donation stations across the country.

6:09 pm

UK parliament group publishes landmark report to combat Oct. 7 denial

The UK parliament’s Israel friendship group releases a 318-page report that aims to establish an incontrovertible historical record of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led atrocities in southern Israel.

“The purpose of commissioning our report has been to chronicle the events of 7 October with clarity and meticulous, fact-checking precision, to ensure it is never forgotten,” says Lord Andrew Roberts, an influential historian who chaired the report.

The report gives a unique “catalog of events,” providing an unprecedentedly comprehensive timeline of the massacre, a source familiar with the project tells The Times of Israel. It will be officially launched in the British parliament later today, The Times of Israel has learned.

Compiled by the UK-Israel All-Party Parliamentary Group based on research that began in January 2024, the publication outlines the atrocities committed by the Hamas terror group against Israel on October 7 and 8, using survivor testimonies, open-source evidence, and interviews with relatives of hostages and victims, as well as expert analysis from government and security officials, first responders, and medical and military professionals in Israel and the UK.

The report determines that 7,000 individuals participated in the massacre, and includes information on the nature and scale of the murders, including Hamas’s youngest victim, a fetus shot in the womb, as well as its oldest victim, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor killed in his safe room by a grenade.

The document corroborates a previous report by the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence, confirming that sexual violence occurred at multiple attack sites on October 7. Hamas and other groups committed “acts of rape, gang rape, forced mutilation, sexualized torture, forced nudity, and posting sexualized images of victims on social media without consent,” says the report.

Introducing the document, Roberts likens the falsification of the events of October 7 to Holocaust denial, saying, “Hamas and its allies, both in the Middle East and equally shamefully in the West, have sought to deny the atrocities, despite the ironic fact that much of the evidence for the massacres derives come from film footage from cameras carried by the terrorists themselves.”

British historian Niall Ferguson comments on the publication, saying, “Those who wish to understand the repulsive, pathological nature of antisemitism should read the report. Those who doubt the truly evil character of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad must read it.”

6:06 pm

ADL chief no longer scheduled to speak at Israeli confab on fighting antisemitism

Jonathan Greenblatt participates in a panel during the TAAF Heritage Month Summit at The Glasshouse on May 5, 2023 in New York City. (JP Yim/Getty Images via AFP)

After multiple officials backed out of an upcoming Israeli conference on combating antisemitism to protest the inclusion of far-right European politicians, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has been removed from the event’s schedule, raising speculation that he has also dropped out.

EJewishPhilanthropy reports that after Greenblatt was originally slated to deliver a keynote address, his name was removed yesterday, when British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, UK government adviser on antisemitism Lord John Mann and veteran academic and activist David Hirsh announced they would not attend the conference. Several French and German figures have also said they will no longer attend.

The ADL and the Diaspora Ministry, which is organizing the conference, declines to comment on the removal of Greenblatt’s name.

Many are concerned that participation in the conference helps provide legitimacy to a growing class of populist parties, many of whom have histories of racism and antisemitism.

Meanwhile, Natan Sharansky, currently serving as the chairman of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, said he would attend the conference.

“For many years I’ve been stubborn and continue to insist even today that it’s important that the fight against antisemitism will include all political camps – from left to right,” Sharansky wrote on Facebook. “Those who continue to hold onto their antisemitic views obviously have no place in conferences against antisemitism. However, those who claim to have changed their views towards Jews certainly deserve to be heard.”

The conference guest list includes Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right French National Rally party founded by noted antisemite and Holocaust denier Jean-Marie Le Pen; Marion Marechal, a far-right French member of the European Parliament and Le Pen’s granddaughter; Hermann Tertsch, a far-right Spanish member of the European Parliament; Charlie Weimers of the far-right Sweden Democrats party; and Kinga Gál, of Hungary’s Fidesz party.

6:01 pm

PM’s office says Netanyahu to give televised speech at IDF headquarters this evening

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give a speech from the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv at 8 p.m., his office says.

Though the Prime Minister Office’s does not detail what his remarks will cover, Netanyahu is expected to address the decision to resume military operations in the Gaza Strip.

6:01 pm

PM to be briefed on hostages but no security consultations currently scheduled

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will receive a briefing this evening from the office of his hostage and missing persons coordinator, an official in Netanyahu’s office tells The Times of Israel.

Hebrew media reported that there would be a full security consultation with Netanyahu’s top aides and security chiefs this evening, but the Prime Minister’s Office says that as of now, no such meeting is scheduled.

5:47 pm

After strikes, Syria accuses Israel of seeking to undermine ‘stability’

DAMASCUS, Syria — The Syrian foreign ministry condemns a series of deadly Israeli strikes a day earlier, accusing Israel of seeking to sow instability in the country.

A foreign ministry statement denounces “in the strongest terms the recent Israeli airstrikes on Daraa,” in southern Syria, adding that “this aggression is part of an Israeli campaign against the Syrian people and the stability of the country.”

5:47 pm

US envoy to UN says blame for renewed Gaza fighting ‘lies solely with Hamas’

US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea speaks during a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The US envoy to the United Nations tells the Security Council that blame for last night’s resumption of Israeli strikes in Gaza “lies solely with Hamas.”

Interim Ambassador Dorothy Shea says the terror group has “steadfastly refused every proposal and deadline they’ve been presented over the past few weeks, including a bridge proposal to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover to allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire.”

Hamas has insisted on sticking to the original terms of the deal, which was supposed to enter its second phase at the beginning of the month. That phase envisioned Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza and agreeing to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages. While Israel signed on to the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not end the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been destroyed.

Accordingly, Israel refused to even hold talks regarding the terms of phase two, which were supposed to begin on February 3.

Instead, it pushed for an extension of phase one — which concluded on March 1 — through additional hostage releases. The US adopted this approach, and special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff’s bridge proposal sought to do just that. Witkoff said Sunday that Hamas’s response to the proposal was a nonstarter.

Hamas instead offered on Friday to release the five remaining American hostages, in line with what it discussed during direct talks with US hostage Adam Boehler. But the terror group didn’t give a firm answer then, and those talks collapsed after Israel leaked them to the press, leading the Trump administration to abandon the framework by the time Hamas come around to it, a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel.

In her address to one of the Security Council’s countless sessions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Shea rejects the allegation that Israel is indiscriminately bombing Gazans.

“The IDF is striking Hamas positions. It is well known that Hamas continues to use civilian infrastructure as launching pads, and the United States condemns this practice, as should others,” she says.

“President Trump has made clear that Hamas must release the hostages immediately or pay a high price, and we support Israel in its next steps,” Shea says.

She asserts that Iran is behind all of the region’s instability, adding that countries in the Middle East “have an historic opportunity to reshape their region in a way that affords all its people a better path forward. Stronger ties between Israel and its neighbors offer an alternative.”

5:45 pm

Australian political leaders pledge to rebuild firebombed Melbourne synagogue

This handout photo taken and released by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on December 10, 2024 shows Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) and members of the local Jewish community visiting the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 10, 2024, after it was set ablaze on December 6. (Handout / DEPARTMENT OF PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET / AFP)

Ahead of Australia’s national elections, both of the country’s largest parties have pledged to rebuild Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue, which was severely damaged in December by an antisemitic firebombing attack.

The ruling Labor party pledges AUD $30 million toward the reconstruction, as well as up to AUD $1.2 million for security upgrades. Those sums are in addition to AUD $250,000 given to replace and restore damaged Torah scrolls.

The announcement comes a day after opposition leader Peter Dutton pledged up to AUD $35 million to restore the synagogue if his Liberal party comes into power in the elections, scheduled for May.

The synagogue also raised more than AUD $600,000 in a crowdfunding campaign for its reconstruction shortly after the fire.

5:29 pm

Islamic Jihad confirms military spokesman was killed in Israeli strike

Palestinian Islamic Jihad officially confirms that the spokesman of the terror group’s military wing, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hamza, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

5:25 pm

‘The right move’: Ex-defense minister Gallant backs resumption of Gaza fighting

By Stav Levaton

Former defense minister Yoav Gallant, who was fired from his post last year, announces his support for the IDF’s renewed airstrikes across Gaza.

“The resumption of fire in Gaza is the right move to create the conditions necessary for the return of the hostages,” Gallant writes on X.

“Throughout the war, I have emphasized that Hamas only understands force,” he adds.

Gallant stresses that the most urgent objective is to bring back the hostages alive, saying, “The military operation must focus on creating the conditions for the hostages’ return, and decisions must be made based on operational considerations — free from politics.”

5:20 pm

Katz: Israel will fight until Hamas’s ‘complete elimination’ if all hostages not freed

Defense Minister Israel Katz visits the Tel Nof Airbase, March 18, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel will not end the fighting against Hamas until all of the hostages are returned.

“Hamas must realize that the rules of the game have changed, and if it does not immediately release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open, and it will find itself facing the full intensity of the IDF in the air, sea, and land, until its complete elimination,” he says during a visit to the Tel Nof Airbase.

“We will not stop fighting until all the hostages are returned home and all threats to the southern residents are removed,” he adds, according to remarks provided by his office.

5:13 pm

Bennett says government is enabling ‘massive’ ultra-Orthodox draft evasion

Naftali Bennett attends a commemoration ceremony for a slain Israeli soldier at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, December 25, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of enabling wide-scale draft evasion by the ultra-Orthodox, calling it a “terrible injustice.”

“One the one hand, the government sends soldiers to fight in the battle and on the other it promotes a budget that encourages massive evasion to the tune of billions of shekels, which polarizes the people of Israel. I call on the government to stop this immediately,” Bennett tells a conference at the University of Haifa.

“The IDF is fighting for the entire people of Israel, and therefore everyone must show up. There is zero tolerance for any hint of refusal or failure to stand up for the campaign,” he says,

In response, Netanyahu’s Likud party releases a statement lashing out at Bennett over the short-lived coalition he led in 2021-2022.

“Bennett has done nothing to help the recruitment of the ultra-Orthodox while the current government is enacting a historic change that will lead to real recruitment of ultra-Orthodox into the IDF. Bennett will continue to tweet from his mansion in Ra’anana, and we will continue to lead the country in this challenging time.”

5:05 pm

PA slams Hamas’s ‘irresponsible behavior,’ says Israel ‘committing a massacre’ in Gaza

The Palestinian Authority denounces Hamas for its “irresponsible behavior” while also slamming Israel following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.

The Palestinian Presidential Spokesperson issues a statement condemning “the Israeli attack on Gaza,” saying that “Israel is committing a massacre against our people” and urging the international community to compel Israel to stop.

“We condemn Hamas’s irresponsible behavior,” the statement concludes.

5:04 pm

As Israel strikes in Gaza, hostage’s wife says she may need ‘to prepare to sit shiva’

Omri Miran (center) from Kibbutz Nir Oz, with his wife Lishay (left) and daughter Roni; Omri was taken captive by Hamas terrorists to Gaza on October 7, 2023 (Noa Sharvit/Courtesy)

Lishay Miran Lavi, whose husband Omri Miran is held captive in Gaza, notes he has managed to survive for 529 days since being taken hostage but expresses concern that Israel’s resumption of airstrikes puts his life at risk.

“It could be that after today, when IDF strikes hit Gaza at 3 in the morning, that I should prepare to sit shiva,” says Miran Lavi at the Knesset. “It could be that that is the situation, and the government of Israel and the public need to understand that.”

Lishay Miran Lavi (center) at the Knesset on March 18, 2025 (Hostages Families Forum)

Dani Elgarat, whose brother Itzik Elgarat was killed in captivity, charges that by ending the ceasefire, the government is “going to destroy” the remaining hostages.

“The government has decided that the fate of the hostages will be like the fate of Hamas terrorists,” says Elgarat. “They are going to destroy them there.”

4:45 pm

IDF releases footage of overnight strikes on Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza

The IDF releases footage showing some of its overnight airstrikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets across the Gaza Strip as part of a surprise offensive.

The strikes have targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, members of the terror group’s politburo, and its infrastructure. Islamic Jihad members and infrastructure were also targeted.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported 404 deaths and 562 wounded in the strikes.

Footage released by the IDF on March 18. 2025, shows overnight airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)

4:36 pm

Daughter of slain hostage urges Trump’s help ‘to secure a deal now’

Several other family members whose loved ones were killed in captivity in Gaza speak outside the Knesset, calling for a return to hostage negotiations after Israel resumed strikes in Gaza overnight.

The speakers include Merav Svirsky, whose brother, Itay Svirsky, was killed in captivity, and Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brother, Nadav Popplewell, was also killed while held in Gaza.

Svirsky, whose parents were killed in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, mentions the hostages who have paid with their lives and says their families have paid as well.

Svatitzky says that for months, she traveled the world after her mother Channah Peri and brother Nadav Popplewell were taken captive from Kibbutz Nirim and her other brother, Roi, was killed on October 7. Her mother was released from Gaza in November 2023, but her brother remained in captivity and was killed by Hamas last summer.

“There are 59 hostages still trapped in Gaza, enduring unthinkable horrors— starved, tortured, and chained,” says Svatitzky. “They are struggling to survive. They can still be saved. They can still be brought home. And those who did not survive deserve to be returned and buried with dignity. We must do everything in our power to bring them back. We must return to the ceasefire and negotiations, and secure their release. A deal is the only way to bring them all back. Please, do not let other families suffer the same fate as mine. There is still time. There are still lives to save. Let’s bring them all home.”

Noam Peri, the daughter of hostage Chaim Peri who was murdered in captivity, says her father could have come home alive.

She appeals to US President Donald Trump, recalling the key role he has played in reuniting so many hostage families.

“We need his leadership along with the world’s urgent action — to secure a deal now,” says Peri.

4:27 pm

Italian PM says fresh Gaza fighting ‘jeopardizes’ the release of hostages

By AFP

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says that a deadly new series of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza puts at risk a plan to release hostages held by Hamas.

“We are following with great concern the resumption of fighting in Gaza… which jeopardizes the objectives we are all working towards: the release of all hostages and a permanent end to hostility, as well as the restoration of full humanitarian assistance in the [Gaza] Strip,” Meloni tells the Italian Senate.

4:19 pm

Demonstrators march toward Knesset to protest planned firing of Shin Bet chief

Protests march on Route 1 toward Jerusalem as part of demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to fire Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, March 18, 2025. (Yonatan SIndel/Flash90)

Several dozen protesters are marching on the road to Jerusalem, aiming for the Knesset, part of a larger set of demonstrations planned for this evening and tomorrow over the planned cabinet vote to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

Shikma Bressler, one of the country’s leading activists in the anti-judicial overhaul movement, urges Israelis to take to the streets and demonstrate for the future of the country and the lives of the hostages.

“The public understands that there is a loss of control. This is beyond the fight for democracy. The security of the State of Israel is at stake,” says Bressler during an interview with Channel 12 news.

4:17 pm

As fighting resumes, bereaved hostage relative warns captives could stay missing in Gaza forever

Carmit Palty Katzir, whose brother Elad Katzir was killed in captivity in Gaza, speaks at the Knesset on March 18, 2025 (Courtesy)

Carmit Palty Katzir, whose brother Elad was killed in captivity, speaks at the gathering outside the Knesset protesting the resumption of Israeli strikes in Gaza. Her father, Rami Katzir, was killed on October 7, 2023. Her mother, Hanna, was taken hostage and released in November 2023, and then died a year later. Her brother’s remains were recovered in Gaza last April.

“If a deal had happened in time, we, the families who paid the heaviest price of all, could be living a different reality. We raise a red flag and warn: The path the government is choosing raises the risk for the ‘Ron Arads,'” she says, referring to the Israeli Air Force officer who has been classified as missing in action since 1986. “The circle of bereaved families will widen and for naught. We must return to the negotiating table to reach a full agreement, in which all the hostages will be released in return for the end of the war. If that doesn’t happen, the blood of the next hostage will be on your hands.”

“I want to say to you: Elad could have been released to my embrace. We have to return Hadar Goldin and Tamir Adar for burial,” she adds, referring respectively to a soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza war and a Kibbutz Nir Oz resident killed fighting terrorists on October 7, 2023, both of whose bodies are held in the coastal enclave.

3:54 pm

Terrorist freed during ceasefire dies of wounds sustained in deadly West Bank attack last year

A Palestinian terrorist released in the recent hostage deal has died from wounds he sustained during a deadly attack he carried out a year ago, according to Palestinian media.

Kazem Zawahreh from Bethlehem carried out the shooting attack near Ma’ale Adumim in February 2024 in which an Israeli was killed. Zawahreh was shot in the head at the scene and has been hospitalized since.

He was released during the recent hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal via a mobile intensive care unit and succumbed to his wounds today.

3:53 pm

IDF arrests 3 suspects, confiscates weapons during operation in Nablus

By Stav Levaton

Israeli soldiers are conducting an operation in the northern West Bank city of Nablus as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts, according to an Israel Defense Forces statement.

During the operation, troops arrested three wanted individuals, interrogated dozens of suspects and confiscated weapons, the IDF says.

The IDF has been carrying out a major offensive in the northern West Bank, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, since January 21.

3:52 pm

Freed hostages warn renewed Gaza fighting risks lives of remaining Hamas captives

Freed hostages Yarden Bibas, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert write on social media about the fears and trepidation they’re experiencing since Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas and restarted strikes on Gaza early Tuesday morning.

“Israel’s decision to return to fighting brings me back to Gaza, to the moments where I heard the sounds of explosions around me and where I feared for my life as I was afraid that the tunnel where I was being held would collapse,” Bibas writes in English on social media. “My wife and children were kidnapped alive and were brutally murdered in captivity. The military pressure endangers the hostages while an agreement brings them home.”

Bibas shares an old photo of himself with longtime friends David Cunio and Ariel Cunio, brothers from Kibbutz Nir Oz who are still held hostage in Gaza.

“I am petrified for my best friends, David and Ariel Cunio,” he says. “I lost my Shiri, Ariel and Kfir, but David can still return alive to Sharon, Emma and Yuli and Ariel to his partner Arbel Yehud and his family.”

A message from Yarden Bibas:

“Israel’s decision to return to fighting brings me back to Gaza, to the moments where I heard the sounds of explosions around me and where I feared for my life as I was afraid that the tunnel where I was being held would collapse.

My wife and… pic.twitter.com/zfkugtaW5o

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) March 18, 2025

Eliya Cohen says that since hearing about strikes on Gaza, he has can’t manage to sit still.

“My brother, Alon Ohel, is wrapped in bicycle chains with chains on his legs, and eats one pita with mold and two spoons of fava beans each day,” writes Cohen, referring to hostage Alon Ohel, who was left behind in the Gazan tunnels when Cohen, Or Levy and Eli Sharabi were freed last month, during the first stage of the hostage release-ceasefire deal.

“It’s just impossible to grasp, and there are no words to describe the lack of understanding in our country about what is taking place 50 meters underground,” says Cohen. “And if there is any understanding, then how to explain this abandonment and lack of attention to human life?”

Freed hostage, Omer Wenkert, shares similar thoughts.

“Have you listened to a word of what we freed hostages have been telling you? Do you not see us?” writes Wenkert. “This dangerous decision will have an untold effect on those of us who are still held there. And I say ‘on us’ because those who are there are me, and I am them. I’m still there! Until the last hostage is released I am still there!”

3:31 pm

France slams Israeli strikes on Gaza, lamenting ‘numerous civilian casualties’

France condemns Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, pointing at “numerous civilian casualties.”

In a statement given at a foreign ministry press briefing, France calls for an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations.

France urges Israel to protect civilians and to stop blocking humanitarian aid, water and electricity from reaching the Strip. It also calls for the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza.

3:31 pm

IDF strikes Syrian artillery systems near Israel border

The IDF says it carried out drone strikes a short while ago against artillery systems near the southern Syrian town of Khan Arnabeh, close to the Israeli border.

According to the military, the artillery had posed a threat to Israel.

“The presence of weapons in southern Syria is a threat to the State of Israel. The IDF will not allow the existence of a military threat in southern Syria and will act against it,” the IDF says.

כלי טיס של חיל האוויר, בהכוונת אוגדה 210, תקפו לפני זמן קצר במרחב חאן ארנבה בדרום סוריה, תותחים שהיוו איום על מדינת ישראל.

הימצאות אמצעי לחימה בדרום סוריה מהווה איום על מדינת ישראל. צה"ל לא יאפשר קיום של איום צבאי בדרום סוריה ויפעל כנגדו pic.twitter.com/I6frzSeqnL

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 18, 2025

3:30 pm

Netanyahu ‘choosing to murder our hostages’: Captives’ relatives, activists protest in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv

Protesters and hostages' families rally near the Knesset in Jerusalem to protest against the resumption of airstrikes in Gaza, Match 18, 2025. The banner reads: "The leader is guilty. Elections now." (Yoav Loeff/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Hostages’ families and supporters are gathering at the Knesset in Jerusalem and at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv today, protesting the government’s decision to end the ceasefire and resume airstrikes in Gaza.

About a dozen protesters stood outside the Knesset at midday, holding up images of hostages still held in Gaza and yelling into megaphones to call for their return home and for a resumption of the ceasefire.

Bereaved father Michel Illouz, whose son Guy Illouz was taken hostage to Gaza where he was killed and where his body remains, stood outside the Knesset and shook his head: “I have nothing to say. I just came back from the US and I can’t believe this is what I returned to.”

Other hostage family members are expected to speak this afternoon at the Jerusalem protest, with freed hostages Iair Horn, Sasha Troufanov and Keith Siegel planning to make statements at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square this evening.

Iair Horn’s brother, Eitan Horn, is still held captive in Gaza.

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, pens a social media post accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “choosing to murder our hostages.”

“This is a war that will bury our families if it isn’t stopped,” she contends.

3:05 pm

UK calls for restoration of Gaza ceasefire ‘in full’; Russia condemns IDF strikes

By AFP

The British government calls on Israel and Hamas to implement their ceasefire agreement for Gaza “in full,” urging all parties to “return urgently to dialogue” to end fighting.

“We want to see this ceasefire agreement reestablished as soon as possible,” says Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, adding that reported civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight are “appalling.”

Meanwhile, Russia condemns Israel’s renewed strikes on the Strip.

“Moscow deeply regrets Israel’s resumption of its military operation in the Gaza Strip,” the Russian foreign ministry says. “Russia strongly condemns any action that leads to the death of civilians and destruction of social infrastructure.”

2:59 pm

FM Sa’ar says Israel had ‘no choice’ but to renew offensive in Gaza

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tells European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that Israel “has no choice” but to renew military operations in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli readout.

Sa’ar stresses that while Israel has endorsed proposals offered by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff that would maintain the ceasefire, “Hamas has rejected them twice.”

He also tells the Estonian diplomat that Israel will not give up on any of its war goals.

2:50 pm

Google confirms buying Israel’s Wiz for $32 billion, in tech giant’s largest-ever acquisition

By Sharon Wrobel

FILE - A sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, California, on September 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, agrees to buy Israeli-founded cybersecurity unicorn Wiz in a cash deal for a staggering $32 billion.

The deal, the largest-ever purchase of an Israeli tech company, is hailed across Israel as a sign of the country’s technological prowess and resilience during the war period.

It marks the largest deal in Israeli tech after US giant Intel Corp bought Mobileye, a Jerusalem-based developer of advanced vision and driver assistance systems, for $15.3 billion back in 2017. For Google, it is the largest acquisition the search giant has ever made, more than double its record purchase of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2012.

As part of the deal, Wiz will join Google’s Cloud division.

“From its earliest days, Google’s strong security focus has made us a leader in keeping people safe online,” says Google CEO Sundar Pichai. “Today, businesses and governments that run in the cloud are looking for even stronger security solutions, and greater choice in cloud computing providers.”

“Together, Google Cloud and Wiz will turbocharge improved cloud security and the ability to use multiple clouds,” Pichai adds.

In May, Wiz, which says that its cyber platform is tailored to secure everything developers build and run in the cloud, was valued at $12 billion after closing its last funding round of $1 billion.

2:45 pm

Report: Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesperson killed in IDF strikes

Abu Hamza, spokesman of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad terror group, addresses Palestinians and threatens Israel in a video message broadcast on March 29, 2019. (Screenshot: Al-Quds Brigades)

The Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports that the spokesperson for the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hamza, has been killed in IDF airstrikes in Gaza.

Additionally, the channel reports that Hassan al-Naam Abu Ali, a senior member of PIJ, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis.

Earlier, reports indicated that Yasser Harb, a member of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, was killed in today’s strikes. His five sons, who were members of Hamas’s military wing, were previously killed in battles with the IDF in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

2:40 pm

Egypt, Qatar said working to pressure Israel to agree to new ceasefire

Egypt and Qatar are working together to push for a renewed ceasefire in Gaza, The Washington Post reports, citing a former Egyptian official briefed on the plan.

“Egypt and Qatar are planning to have quick connection with Israel side for urgent ceasefire and to start arranging quick meetings in Cairo for entering the next phase and exchange hostages and prisoners in order to achieve peace,” says the official.

“Egypt is trying to contact the American side to put some pressure on [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to accept the ceasefire.”

2:37 pm

Netanyahu to convene security cabinet on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet to discuss the fighting in Gaza and other regional issues on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in Jerusalem, the office of one of the ministers tells The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu is expected to sit with the full cabinet before that — possibly tomorrow — to vote on the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

2:27 pm

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Authority join chorus of condemnation of new IDF strikes

By Agencies

Gaza war mediator Qatar strongly condemns Israel’s resumed bombing campaign in Gaza.

Qatar’s foreign ministry “warns that [Israel’s] escalating policies will ultimately ignite the region and undermine its security and stability,” it says in a statement.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls on the international community to “compel” Israel to end its “aggression.”

Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemns the strikes in a statement and calls on “the international community to compel the occupation to stop its aggression against our people everywhere in the Gaza Strip,” while Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa issues a similar call during a PA cabinet meeting.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also joins in, denouncing the renewed escalation “in the strongest terms” and calling on the international community to step in to stop what it describes as crimes against the Palestinians.

2:12 pm

Google said to finalize purchase of Israel’s Wiz for record-breaking $32 billion

By Sharon Wrobel

View of the Wiz cybersecurity company offices in Tel Aviv, July 15, 2024 (Flash90)

Google’s parent company, Alphabet agrees to buy Israeli-founded cybersecurity unicorn Wiz for a staggering record $32 billion, the Financial Times reports.

In May, Wiz, which says that its cyber platform is tailored to secure everything developers build and run in the cloud, was valued at a whopping $12 billion after closing its last funding round of $1 billion.

The cybersecurity unicorn was established in early 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic started gaining pace around the world, sending entire enterprises and workers online and spurring a huge migration wave to cloud-based servers. With hybrid work now standard and digital transformation moving data centers to the cloud, businesses face heightened network security risks, including sophisticated ransomware, malware and other breaches, which in turn bolstered demand for Wiz’s cloud-based cybersecurity solutions powered by artificial intelligence.

2:07 pm

Israeli-American Council becomes member of Conference of Presidents

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP) has added a new member organization, the Israeli-American Council (IAC), CoP says.

The IAC, which works to foster Jewish identity and strengthen bonds between the United States and Israel, joins the 50 other influential organizations in the CoP advocating for Jewish interests in the US and abroad.

Founded to serve the estimated 800,000 Israeli-Americans living in the United States, IAC has become a powerful force in Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy, providing a one-stop hub for engaging with Israeli culture, Hebrew language, Jewish traditions, and Israel-related activism, CoP says.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Israeli-American Council to the Conference of Presidents,” says CoP chair Harriet Schleifer. “IAC plays a transformative role in connecting Israeli-Americans to Jewish life and advocacy, and we look forward to their contributions in strengthening our shared mission.”

2:04 pm

Hostages’ families are heard ‘too much,’ Smotrich says during clash with relatives in Knesset

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the voices of hostages’ relatives are heard “too much,” as he argues with Ayala Metzger, the daughter-in-law of slain captive Yoram Metzger, during a Knesset committee meeting.

During the special committee held for families of reservists and security service members, Metzger decries the return to fighting in the Gaza Strip and urges the government to reach a deal to return the hostages held by terror groups.

“We thought that we were serving in the Israel Defense Forces and not the army of God’s vengeance. In these very moments, we are murdering hostages, and there is a deal on the table,” she says, adding that the government has chosen “to bury more hostages and soldiers, something that nobody wants.”

“There is a deal on the table, go discuss it,” she urges.

Apparently frustrated at their presence in the meeting, Smotrich asks the relatives of the hostages, “Why do you think you are allowed to shut others’ mouths?”

“We heard you. Get out. We are continuing. Stop thinking you have the right to take control of the conversation and not allow others to think differently from you. We also paid a price. Let’s not have a competition,” he says.

סמוטריץ' באמירה מזעזעת לבני משפחות חטופים: "שומעים אתכם יותר מדי בכל מקום. החוצה. שלום ולא להתראות" pic.twitter.com/mkOmNepmVa

— daniel amram – דניאל עמרם (@danielamram3) March 18, 2025

Smotrich then calls in Knesset guards to escort hostages’ relatives out of the room.

Another relative present in the committee says, “Nobody is hearing us anywhere,” before a Knesset guard approaches to escort him out.

“We hear you too much,” Smotrich says.

1:52 pm

With resumption of war in Gaza, Ben Gvir’s party to return to the government today

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, greets National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Knesset on May 23, 2023. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP)

Former national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party will return to the government today, just under two months after leaving the coalition.

In a joint statement, Otzma Yehudit and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party announce that they have “agreed that the Otzma Yehudit faction will return to the Israeli government today, and Otzma Yehudit ministers will return to the government.”

Otzma Yehudit quit Netanyahu’s coalition in January, following through on the far-right party’s threat to exit if the government agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Earlier today, Ben Gvir welcomed the resumption of military operations in the Gaza Strip overnight, following an extensive wave of airstrikes across the coastal territory that targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, members of the terror group’s politburo, and its infrastructure.

“We welcome the return of the State of Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to intense fighting,” Ben Gvir said in a statement.

“As we said in recent months, when we withdrew [from the government], Israel must return to fighting in Gaza. This is the right, moral, ethical and most justified step, in order to destroy the Hamas terrorist organization and bring back our hostages. We must not accept the existence of the Hamas organization and it must be destroyed.”

Following Otzma Yehudit’s exit from the coalition, the cabinet approved the temporary appointment of Tourism Minister Haim Katz to the three ministerial positions left vacant by the party. It was widely believed that the reason for making Katz’s appointments temporary was Netanyahu’s desire to signal to Ben Gvir that the portfolios were waiting for him, should he wish to return to the coalition.

Responding to Otzma Yehudit and Likud’s announcement, The Democrats party MK Merav Michaeli tweets: “Ben Gvir is returning, the hostages aren’t.”

1:47 pm

IDF says it continues to strike terror targets throughout Gaza

The IDF says it is continuing to carry out strikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets across the Gaza Strip.

Targets hit in the past few hours included cells of terror operatives, rocket-launching positions, weapons, and other military infrastructure, the IDF and Shin Bet say in a joint statement.

The weapons and infrastructure were to have been used by the terror groups in planned attacks on Israel, the military adds.

1:42 pm

Katz says Israel’s strikes will ‘intensify’ if Hamas doesn’t return all hostages

Defense Minister Israel Katz , center right, during an assessment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other officials on March 18, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says that “the murderous Hamas needs to understand: If they do not release all our hostages, our blows will intensify.”

The remarks, provided by his office, were made during an assessment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other officials.

1:30 pm

EU aid chief says renewed escalation in Gaza ‘must stop’

By AFP

The EU’s aid commissioner calls for an immediate end to the renewed violence in Gaza, after Israel launched a fresh round of strikes on the Strip.

“The renewed escalation in Gaza is devastating. Civilians have endured unimaginable suffering. This must stop,” commissioner Hadja Lahbib writes on X, saying that “it is imperative to return to a ceasefire immediately.”

1:13 pm

Iran, Jordan slam fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza as ‘continuation of genocide,’ ‘barbaric’

By Agencies and ToI Staff

Iran says it strongly condemns a new round of Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says the United States has direct responsibility for “the continuation of genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Israel strongly rejects accusations that its military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide campaign against Palestinians, saying it is acting to defend itself and is fighting Hamas, not the Palestinian population, while the terror group hides and operates from among civilians.

Jordan also condemns the strikes, with government spokesman Mohammed Momani saying, “We have been following since last night Israel’s aggressive and barbaric bombing of the Gaza Strip,” and underlining “the need to stop this aggression.”

1:11 pm

Irish PM condemns renewed IDF strikes on Gaza

Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin condemns Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, citing the civilian toll.

“I call on all parties to respect the ceasefire and hostage release deal, and to return to talks aimed at implementing the second phase of the deal,” he says in a statement.

“For the sake of the civilians in Gaza, who have already endured unimaginable hardships, there must be an urgent end to all hostilities,” he continues.

He also says that the remaining hostages must be freed unconditionally.

Ireland is one of Israel’s most strident critics in Europe.

Martin says he will be discussing Gaza at the European Council meeting Thursday and Friday.

1:00 pm

Court rejects petition that sought to bar cabinet from discussing ouster of Shin Bet head, saying it can’t intervene preemptively

In a unanimous decision, the High Court of Justice rejects outright a petition by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG) to ban the cabinet from holding a hearing to fire the head of the Shin Bet, saying that issuing such an order would violate the balance of power between Israel’s branches of government.

MQG filed a petition to the court yesterday, arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a conflict of interest in firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar since the Shin Bet is currently conducting a criminal investigation into alleged ties between senior aides to Netanyahu and Qatar, and that a decision to fire Bar would therefore be motivated by considerations not relevant to his professional performance.

The High Court says, however, that a deeply entrenched principle of its power of judicial review is that it cannot address claims before the authorized body — in this case, the cabinet — makes a final decision about the issue in question.

“The time for judicial review is after a decision has been made, and not before,” writes Justice Gila Canfy-Steinitz on behalf of a panel of three judges. “When a decision is yet to be made, the necessary basis for judicial review does not exist.”

Judicial review before the cabinet holds a hearing on the matter “is likely to disturb the system of checks and balances between the branches of government,” she says.

Canfy-Steinitz adds that when the cabinet holds a hearing on firing Bar, the attorney general could explain the legal considerations relating to such a decision, and that this could lead to an outcome other than his dismissal.

“In any case, the petitioners must wait until a final decision is made by the government, the authorized body, and only afterward can the path to judicial review be opened,” Canfy-Steinitz concludes.

The cabinet had been scheduled to hold a hearing on firing Bar today, but it remains unclear if that will go ahead.

12:52 pm

Sa’ar says military pressure is crucial to breaking Gaza deadlock

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar leads a faction meeting of his New Hope party, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praises the renewed military campaign in Gaza, saying that without military pressure, the situation vis-a-vis Hamas would have “remained stuck.”

“If we had continued waiting,” the foreign minister says at a conference in Dimona, “the situation would have remained at a standstill.”

Sa’ar says that the present circumstances “strongly reminded” him of the first 20 days of the war before the ground incursion into Gaza, “when there was hope that maybe Hamas would agree to a deal. As long as we did not use force — nothing happened.”

While Israel made “sincere efforts” to advance ceasefire talks, and “President Trump’s envoy, Witkoff, proposed two different offers,” Hamas rejected these proposals, says Sa’ar.

“In the past two and a half weeks, we have reached a deadlock — there is neither airstrikes nor the return of hostages, and this is something Israel cannot accept,” continues the foreign minister, adding that the return to fighting “is a continuation of our commitment to achieving the war’s objectives. The war’s goals remain unchanged.”

12:41 pm

Netanyahu concludes meeting with IDF chief, defense minister

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) holds a situational assessment at the IDF Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (left), military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman (second from right), and Defense Minister Israel Katz (right), March 18, 2025. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finished a situational assessment at the IDF Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office says in a statement.

Netanyahu is joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and his military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman.

The Prime Minister’s Office says that “security chiefs” were present, but Shin Bet head Ronen Bar — whom Netanyahu says he is going to dismiss this week — does not appear in footage released by the PMO.

After some media highlighting of Bar’s absence, an official in Netanyahu’s office clarifies that the Shin Bet chief was not cut out of the photos sent out from the assessment, explaining that Bar did not take part in that discussion.

“He took part — as did other security officials — in a broader discussion afterward,” says the official, “from which it was forbidden to release footage for reasons of information security.”

12:39 pm

Report: Mediators working to free hostages in exchange for immediate truce, Israel rejects plan

The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reports that Egypt is in intensive contact with mediators to halt the current escalation.

Mediators are attempting to secure the release of several hostages in exchange for an immediate ceasefire, the report says.

According to the report, Israel has informed the mediators that it currently rejects a ceasefire.

12:30 pm

Hamas claims Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 404, injured 562

By AP and ToI Staff

The death toll from a wave of Israeli strikes in Gaza has reached 404, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The ministry says at least 562 people have been wounded in the strikes.

12:29 pm

Hamas names 4 senior officials killed in wave of IDF strikes on Gaza

Hamas confirms that at least four senior officials were killed in the IDF strikes overnight.

Hamas’s government media office in Gaza says they include Issam al-Da’alis, head of the government administrative committee — akin to prime minister — as well as Ahmad al-Khatta, director-general of Hamas’s justice ministry; Mahmoud Abu Watfa, director-general of Hamas’s interior ministry; and Bahjat Abu Sultan, head of Hamas’s domestic security agency.

12:15 pm

Red Cross says Gaza medical facilities ‘overwhelmed’ after Israeli strikes

By AFP

The Red Cross says many medical facilities in the Gaza Strip are “overwhelmed” after Israel resumed its bombing of the territory.

“What we heard from Palestine Crescent colleagues this morning is that many medical facilities are literally overwhelmed across Gaza,” Tommaso Della Longa, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, says at a briefing in Geneva.

12:08 pm

As report says today’s meeting to dismiss Shin Bet head is canceled, ministers say they got no update

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, left, and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, right, at the IAF's underground command center at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 18, 2025. (IDF)

Ministers have not received any update on when this week’s cabinet meeting will take place, according to the offices of two senior Likud ministers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar on Sunday that he would convene the cabinet to vote on his removal. The meeting was initially reported to be set for Wednesday, but Netanyahu was later expected to move it to today, possibly because of mass demonstrations against Bar’s dismissal scheduled for tomorrow.

Channel 12 news reports that the plan to hold the cabinet meeting today has been canceled.

12:06 pm

Egypt condemns Israeli resumption of Gaza airstrikes

By AFP

The Egyptian foreign ministry condemns Israel’s overnight airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, calling them a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire that took effect on January 19.

The strikes constitute a “dangerous escalation which threatens to bring serious consequences for the stability of the region,” says the statement from Egypt, which brokered the Gaza ceasefire alongside Qatar and the United States.

12:06 pm

ADL says at least 30 Wikipedia editors introducing antisemitic, anti-Israel content onto site

An illustrative image of a person looking at Wikipedia on their phone. (iStock/pressureUA)

A group of at least 30 Wikipedia editors has made coordinated efforts to introduce “antisemitic narratives, anti-Israel bias, and misleading information” onto the site, in violation of its policies, an Anti-Defamation League report says.

According to the report, the group of editors was up to 18 times more active in group contacts than comparable groups of editors and twice as active in the number of total edits they made over the past decade.

These findings indicate a coordinated effort by the editors to edit pages related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, whitewashing antisemitism, violence, and calls for the destruction of Israel, the report finds.

The phenomenon is particularly visible in Arabic-language pages, with the ADL finding that pages related to Hamas glorify the terror group, perpetuate its propaganda, and “flout Wikipedia’s rules for neutrality.”

It says that these edits have “ramped up” since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt says that the site is assumed by readers to be reliable, “but in reality, it has become a biased platform manipulated by agenda-driven editors on many topics.”

“Recent Wikipedia efforts toward neutrality are nothing but a Band-Aid on a problem that’s getting worse, with persistent antisemitic and anti-Israel bias still far too present. We urge Wikipedia and policymakers to act quickly before rampant disinformation on one of the most visited sources of information leads to tragic consequences.”

The ADL says that Wikipedia’s policies for combating such content are insufficient, and makes several recommendations, including the creation of a “reputable expert program” on the conflict to review pages relating to the conflict, and a committee that can vet edits made to contentious topics.

It also says policymakers should form “a task force aimed at combating antisemitic bias on Wikipedia” and hold hearings on the issue.

12:05 pm

Foreign Ministry says Israel to use ‘increasing military intensity’ against Hamas

The Foreign Ministry says that Israel’s renewed campaign against Hamas in Gaza after two months of ceasefire will continue to escalate.

“As of this morning, Israel is operating with full force against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” says the Foreign Ministry in a statement, adding that “from this point forward, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military intensity.”

The statement cites Hamas’s continued refusal of ceasefire proposals as cause for the resumed aggression, emphasizing that “Hamas rejected two concrete mediation proposals presented by the US president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff,” and that while Israel agreed to these proposals, “Hamas refused them.”

“The IDF is striking Hamas terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip, aiming to achieve the war’s objectives, which include the release of all our hostages, the dismantling of Hamas’s military and governmental infrastructure, and the removal of the terrorist threat from Gaza to Israel’s security and its citizens,” according to the Foreign Ministry.

12:01 pm

Palestinian gunman killed, 4 injured, 2 detained during arrest operation in West Bank

Police say officers of the elite Gideonim unit, also known as Unit 33, killed a Palestinian gunman during an arrest operation in the West Bank city of Qalqilya overnight.

The officers had attempted to arrest several wanted Palestinians, following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet, when they came under fire.

“The force returned fire, one terrorist was eliminated, four were wounded and two wanted men were detained for interrogation,” police say.

11:56 am

AG’s office urges Katz to immediately impose sanctions on Haredi draft evaders

Defense Minister Israel Katz (left) at the city hall of southern municipality Netivot, January 1, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry); Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara attends a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem, on November 18, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Attorney General’s Office calls on Defense Minister Israel Katz to advance sanctions on ultra-Orthodox draft evaders with all “necessary urgency,” arguing that the “negligible” response rate among those who received military enlistment orders harms national security and imposes an unfair burden on other segments of the population.

In a letter to the Defense Ministry, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon notes that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara wrote to Katz earlier this month stressing the “importance of him taking immediate action” in order to “improve enforcement and impose personal sanctions against evaders that do not require new legislation.”

However, “to date, the minister has not responded to the attorney general’s letter,” Limon writes, adding that various ministries have proposed sanctions on housing and business subsidies and the revocation of property tax discounts.

While Baharav-Miara has been outspoken in her advocacy for sanctions on draft evaders, her office has not indicated that it is looking into a growing ecosystem of ultra-Orthodox organizations actively encouraging yeshiva students to ignore IDF enlistment orders.

In June 2024, the High Court ruled that the government must draft ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into the military, since there was no longer any legal framework to continue the decades-long practice of granting them blanket exemptions from service.

Haredi leaders vehemently oppose members of the community serving in the military, fearing they will be secularized. The issue, long a sensitive one in Israeli public discourse due to the perceived inequality created by the blanket exemption, has taken on renewed urgency with the military contending with a severe manpower shortage since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Katz has himself stated that he believes enlistment should be ramped up slowly and that eventually half of eligible draftees could end up serving while the rest continue studying in yeshivas, sparking a backlash among Likud lawmakers.

At an ultra-Orthodox Purim event last week, Katz declared, “The world of Jewish Torah can never be harmed,” after mentioning the government’s work on Haredi conscription legislation.

11:43 am

Turkey charges Israeli strikes on Gaza show new phase in its ‘policy of genocide’

Turkey says Israel’s new strikes on Gaza amount to a “new phase in its policy of genocide” against Palestinians, urging the international community to take a determined stance to ensure a ceasefire is upheld and humanitarian aid is delivered.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry alleges it is unacceptable for Israel to cause a “new cycle of violence” in the region, adding the Israeli government’s “hostile approach” threatens the future of the Middle East.

11:31 am

Hamas denies preparing to attack Israel before IDF airstrikes, accuses US of partnering in ‘genocide’

Hamas issues an official statement rejecting Israeli claims that, prior to the resumption of the war overnight, it had been preparing to attack Israel.

“The allegations made by the occupation regarding preparations by the resistance to launch an attack are baseless. They are merely pretexts to justify its return to war and the escalation of its bloody aggression,” it alleges.

Meanwhile, Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanua says on Telegram that “the criminal occupation, with prior American coordination, is resuming its genocide and committing dozens of massacres against our people.”

He adds: “The occupation’s prior coordination with the US administration confirms its partnership in the genocide against our people and provides cover for its war crimes. Hamas fully adhered to all the agreement terms but the occupation rejected it.”

11:30 am

Netanyahu holds consultation with aides, security chiefs at army’s HQ

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening his top aides and security chiefs at the IDF Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

The meeting comes as Israel is carrying out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, ending two months of relative calm in the war between Israel and Hamas.

11:23 am

Source: Israel plans to move forward with Gaza op unless Hamas resumes ‘genuine’ negotiations

Israel has a concrete plan “to move forward” with its military campaign in Gaza, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

“If at any point the other side decides to go back to genuinely negotiating, and we go back to genuine talks, then we’ll stop [the offensive]. At the moment, we’re left without any choice.”

A separate Israeli official tells the Israel Hayom newspaper that Israel’s goal in the renewed air campaign in Gaza is to push Hamas to agree to the original “Witkoff proposal” for hostage talks.

The outline, attributed by Israel to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, would see half the hostages released at the beginning of an extension of the ceasefire, which would extend till after Passover in mid-April. The rest would be released if an agreement is reached on ending the war.

“Without small releases of hostage and without games, the goal is to get everyone out,” the official says.

“Israel waited three weeks for Hamas to begin serious talks on the Witkoff outline,” continues the official. “That didn’t happen.”

11:14 am

Kremlin warns of ‘spiral of escalation’ in Gaza

By AFP

The Kremlin warns about a “spiral of escalation” in Gaza after Israel renewed its airstrikes on Gaza after two months of ceasefire.

“The aggravation of the situation, another spiral of escalation, this is creating concern for us,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters.

11:11 am

UN secretary-general ‘shocked’ by Israeli strikes on Gaza

By AP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a speech at the opening of the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, on February 24, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says he is “shocked” by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and has called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be respected.

Guterres, in a statement, calls for humanitarian aid to resume for people in Gaza and for the hostages held by Hamas to be released unconditionally.

10:47 am

Freed hostage Emily Damari says she is ‘crushed’ by resumption of fighting

By AP

Emily Damari (right) and her mother, Mandy, after her return from Hamas captivity, at an IDF facility near the border, January 19, 2025. (IDF)

Freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari says her “heart is broken, crushed and disappointed” by the resumption of fighting in Gaza.

In a story on Instagram shared by Hebrew media, she says she will keep fighting for the remaining hostages.

10:44 am

Gaza strikes ‘unconscionable,’ says UN humanitarian coordinator

The United Nations’ Humanitarian Coordinator for the West Bank and Gaza urges for the ceasefire in Gaza to be immediately reinstated after Israeli airstrikes resumed in the enclave today, threatening a complete collapse of the two-month truce.

“Waves of airstrikes occurred across the Gaza strip since the early hours of the morning… This is unconscionable. A ceasefire must be reinstated immediately,” Muhannad Hadi says in a statement.

10:43 am

WZO elections off to strong start, despite minor technical issues

Despite some early technical snafus, more than twice as many people are voting in the World Zionist Congress election as in the previous election.

More than 52,000 votes were cast during the first week of voting, compared to 24,000 in the first week of the 2020 election, says the American Zionist Movement (AZM), which is administering the election. The election, which continues online through May 4, is well on track to shatter the previous record of 123,575 votes cast.

During the first week, about a dozen individuals reported being double-charged the $5 registration fee due to a technical issue, the organization tells The Times of Israel. Those instances have been refunded, and the AZM is working to make sure they don’t happen again, it says.

Voting in the WZO election, which will help decide how billions of dollars will be allocated to Israeli and Jewish causes, is open to Jewish adults in the US at zionistelection.org.

10:35 am

Hamas official says terror group ‘working with mediators to curb’ Israel’s ‘aggression’

By AFP and ToI Staff

A Hamas official tells AFP that the Palestinian terror group is “working with mediators to curb the aggression,” after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes in Gaza.

“Hamas adhered to the ceasefire agreement and implemented it precisely, but the Israeli occupation reneged on its commitment and reversed it by resuming aggression and war,” the official claims, adding that “Hamas and the resistance factions are in constant session to assess the situation and working with mediators to curb the aggression.” So far, Hamas has not responded to the Israeli strikes.

10:34 am

Settler groups hail renewed fighting in Gaza; one urges expelling population

Settlement organizations welcome Israel’s renewed combat operations in Gaza, with one group repeating its demand to expel the Palestinian population from the territory and reestablish Jewish settlements.

“This is the time to strike the enemy in Gaza and to change reality,” says the Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing settlement municipal authorities in the West Bank.

“Defeating Hamas prevents an existential threat to the State of Israel in the Gaza envelope region, the cities of central Israel, and in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank],” the organization says.

The Nachala organization, which has campaigned for the establishment of settlements in Gaza since the early days of the war, also welcomes the resumption of fighting and repeats its advocacy for forcibly expelling Palestinians from Gaza.

“From here on, the path to decisive victory is clear and unambiguous — occupation, expulsion, settlement.

“The time has come for a full Jewish return to the Gaza Strip.”

10:27 am

Israel swelters as weeklong heatwave breaks records, says Meteorological Service

By Sue Surkes

Temperatures over the past seven days have been 7 to 11 degrees Celsius above average, the Israel Meteorological Service reports, citing data for March 12 to 18 — apparently relying on a forecast for today.

The mercury hit above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern Israel’s Negev desert, the eastern valleys, and the lowlands, and on some days neared 35° C (95°F) or more in the Jordan Valley and the southern Arava Desert. On the coastal plain, it was hotter than 30°C on most days, and in the central mountains — which include Jerusalem — the temperature ranged from 26° to 29°C (78.8° to 84.2° F).

The service says the sequence of hot days is unusual for this time of year, with similar cases occurring only in 2010 and 2004. In the northern valleys, the Jordan Valley, and the Eilat area, it was unprecedented.

In Eilat, a temperature of 37.9°C (100.2° F) on one day broke the all-time record for March, and in Kfar Blum, in the north, a reading of 35.2°C (95.4° F) broke the bar for the first half of March.

10:21 am

Hostages’ families demand to meet leaders to get clarification on how they intend to keep their loved ones safe

Hostages’ families will gather outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem this morning, stating that they have long been requesting meetings with elected officials who are responsible for the fate of their loved ones, but their requests haven’t been heeded.

It’s now clear, assert the families in a statement by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, that the elected officials aren’t meeting with them because they were always planning to end the ceasefire. They charge that the overnight Gaza strikes could “bury” the remaining hostages.

“The hostage families demand a meeting this morning with the prime minister, the defense minister and the head of the negotiating team in which [the officials] will clarify how they can guarantee that hostages won’t be affected by the military pressure and how they are planning to get them home,” say the families.

10:15 am

UN Security Council to convene today on Gaza, amid new IDF op

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to convene for a briefing on Gaza and “the Palestinian question” at 10 a.m. New York time — 4 p.m. Israel time.

The meeting was on the docket before Israel resumed strikes in Gaza overnight.

10:11 am

Police summon Shas minister for questioning over alleged funneling of money to party newspaper

By Charlie Summers

Police have summoned Shas minister Haim Biton for questioning on suspicion of using public funds earmarked for education to finance a private newspaper affiliated with the ultra-Orthodox party, Hebrew outlets report.

A police spokesman says that officers in the Lahav 433 fraud investigations unit detained four suspects as part of a months-long covert investigation, which is now made public, into the alleged use of budget funds to prop up the children’s supplement of a private newspaper.

Police do not name the minister under investigation, but media outlets say he is Biton, a minister within the Education Ministry. In October, the Kan public broadcaster reported that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had opened an investigation into Biton and others associated with the HaDerech newspaper.

State funding meant to go to Shas’s Maayan Hachinuch Hatorani school network was allegedly funneled to HaDerech via various backdoor methods during Biton’s tenure as head of the network. The newspaper allegedly used this taxpayer money to pay editorial and journalistic salaries.

Police say that they searched and seized documents in relation to the crimes, in addition to arresting the four suspects.

10:02 am

Trump gave ‘green light’ for Israel to resume Gaza offensive — report

US President Donald Trump gave Israel a “green light” to renew military operation against Hamas in Gaza, an Israeli official is quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.

Trump made the decision after Hamas refused to release more hostages, says the official.

Israel let the US know that it was resuming strikes on Gaza before carrying them out, adds the official, echoing other reports that have said the same.

9:58 am

Hamas updates alleged death toll in IDF strikes to at least 326

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry updates the alleged death toll from renewed IDF strikes on the territory to 326.

There is no change to its tally of injured, which was previously put at 440.

9:47 am

Australia, China express dismay at collapse of Gaza ceasefire

By Agencies

Australia calls for the ceasefire to be maintained following Israel’s fresh airstrikes in Gaza, while China calls for steps to prevent a “humanitarian disaster” in the Strip.

“There’s already been enormous suffering there, which is why we’re calling upon all parties to respect the ceasefire and hostage deal that was put in place,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tells reporters.

“We’ll continue to make representations. Australia will continue to stand up for peace and security in the region,” he adds.

China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning says the country “is highly concerned about the current situation between Israel and Palestine,” calling on the parties to “avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation, and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster.”

9:38 am

‘A black day’: Hostages’ relatives fume, with one accusing PM of ‘working for the elimination and murder of the hostages’

Some relatives of living hostages still held by terrorists in Gaza chastise the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for resuming military operations in the Strip.

“Netanyahu is again working for the elimination and murder of the hostages, including my son, to preserve his leadership, and is building another element that will protect his survival,” charges Yehuda Cohen, father of captive soldier Nimrod Cohen, according to Ynet.

Dani Miran, father of hostage Omri Miran, tells Army Radio he was “horrified” to hear about the renewed offensive.

“Today, I am more worried than ever,” he says. “I thought my son was going free in a week. They told me a delegation was sent [for negotiations]. What is its mandate? I’ve already said this delegation is worthless. People were angry at me when I said it. Turns out I was right.”

Miran takes aim at new IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, as well as the government: “This chief of staff was picked [to fulfill] the government’s agenda, and its agenda is war.

“For me, this is a black day.”

9:29 am

IDF names overnight Gaza bombing campaign ‘Strength and Sword’

The IDF says the name of its overnight surprise bombing campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is “Strength and Sword.”

9:13 am

Yemen’s Houthis condemn Israeli strikes on Gaza, vow escalation

By AFP

Yemen’s Houthi rebels condemn Israel’s wave of strikes on Gaza, vowing to escalate its own operations in support of its ally Hamas after threatening to renew attacks on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.

“We condemn the Zionist enemy’s resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip,” the Houthis’ supreme political council says in a statement.

“The Palestinian people will not be left alone in this battle, and Yemen will continue its support and assistance, and escalate confrontation steps,” it adds.

9:07 am

IDF orders Gazans to leave areas on Strip’s outskirts, potentially indicating expansion of offensive

A man walks through the rubble of a destroyed section of a school-turned-camp following an Israeli strike in Gaza City on March 18, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The IDF issues evacuation warnings to Palestinians residing on the edges of the Gaza Strip, after the military overnight launched a surprise aerial bombing campaign against Hamas, possibly indicating an intention to expand the offensive.

In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, publishes a map of “dangerous combat zones” that Gazans should flee from. They include the towns of Beit Hanoun, Khuza’a, and the Abasan suburbs of Khan Younis.

“The IDF has launched a strong offensive against terror organizations. These designated areas are considered dangerous combat zones,” he says.

“For your own safety, you must evacuate immediately to known shelters in western Gaza City and in Khan Younis,” the post reads.

He warns that remaining in the areas marked on the map in red “puts your lives and the lives of your family members in danger.”

#عاجل ‼️ تحذير إلى جميع سكان قطاع غزة المتواجدين في المنطقة المحددة بالأحمر وتحديدًا في أحياء بيت حانون، خربة خزاعة، عبسان الكبيرة والجديدة

⭕️بدأ جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي هجومًا قوياً ضد المنظمات الإرهابية. هذه المناطق المحددة تعتبر مناطق قتال خطيرة!

⭕️من أجل أمنكم عليكم الإخلاء… pic.twitter.com/N5Hug8TpXw

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 18, 2025

9:01 am

Hamas health ministry gives conflicting number of casualties in IDF strikes

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry issues conflicting numbers of people killed and injured in Israel’s renewed military offensive in the Strip.

In an official statement, the ministry says the death toll is 254, down from a previously reported 310.

But the head of the ministry tells AFP that the toll has risen to “at least 330.”

“The health ministry has recorded more than 330 deaths, most of them Palestinian women and children, and hundreds of wounded, dozens of them in critical condition,” Mohammed Zaqut is quoted as saying.

After previously telling Egyptian media that over 1,000 have been injured in the strikes, the ministry’s official statement puts the number at 440.

8:42 am

Head of Hamas’s interior ministry said among senior officials killed in Gaza strikes

By Nurit Yohanan and AFP

Two Hamas sources tell AFP that that among those killed in the overnight IDF airstrikes is Mahmoud Abu Watfa, who headed the terror group’s interior ministry.

Abu Watfa, who headed Hamas’s police and internal security services in the Gaza Strip, was killed in a strike on Gaza City, say the two sources, one of them an official at the interior ministry.

Additionally, according to Gazan media reports, the strikes killed Issam Da’alis, a member of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza and head of the governmental activity monitoring committee, a position roughly akin to Hamas’s prime minister.

However, reports about Da’alis’s death have circulated since July 2024, saying he was killed in an airstrike back then. There has never been an official confirmation of his death by the IDF or Hamas, though the Asharq al-Awsat news site quoted Hamas sources in January as confirming his death.

Abu Ubaida Al-Jamassi, also a member of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza and, according to some sources, the head of Hamas’s emergency committee — which has managed Gaza during the war — was also killed overnight, reports say.

Another senior official killed is Bahjat Abu Sultan, a high-ranking official in Hamas’s interior ministry, the ministry responsible for security forces outside of its military wing.

Furthermore, Ahmad Al-Khatta, the director-general of Hamas’s justice ministry in Gaza, was also killed.

8:20 am

As Israel closes Rafah Crossing, source says EU, Palestinian officials operating it weren’t in Gaza when strikes began

The European Union and Palestinian officials who have been operating the Rafah Crossing along with the private security contractors who have been conducting inspections of Gazans passing through the Netzarim Corridor were not in the Strip when Israel began its airstrikes in Gaza overnight, a European diplomat tells The Times of Israel.

They have been entering Gaza each day from Egypt in the morning and then departing the Strip at night, the diplomat says.

Israel informed them this morning that it was shuttering the Rafah Crossing as it intensifies its operations against Hamas, and that they therefore would not be allowed back into the Strip for the time being, the diplomat says.

8:15 am

IDF airs image of new IDF chief with heads of Shin Bet, Air Force at command center overnight

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, center, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, right, and chief of the Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar at the IAF's underground command center at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 18, 2025. (IDF)

The IDF releases footage showing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and chief of the Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar at the IAF’s underground command center at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, during the overnight airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

8:13 am

Hostage Forum: Government has chosen to ‘give up the lives of the hostages’

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issues a statement following the renewal of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, accusing the government of “choosing to give up the lives of the hostages.”

“The greatest fear of the families, of the hostages and of Israeli citizens has been realized,” it says. “We are horrified, furious and scared by the intentional shattering of the process of returning our loved ones from the terrible Hamas captivity.”

“The return to fighting before the return of the last hostage will cost us the 59 hostages who are still in Gaza and who can still be saved and returned,” the forum says, adding that a statement saying the move is aimed at returning the hostages is “complete misdirection” since “military pressure endangers hostages and soldiers.”

Of the 59, only 24 are believed to be alive. The families of the rest are seeking the return of their loved ones to be able to properly bid farewell and bury them.

“The ceasefire must be resumed. Many lives are at stake,” the forum concludes, asking US President Donald Trump to continue to work for the release of all abductees. “There will be no security, no victory and no redemption until the last hostage returns home.”

7:51 am

IDF dismisses senior reserves officer who lost top-secret military documents in parking lot

Then-Col. Erez Winner in the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, June 4, 2012. (Uri Lenz/ Flash90)

A senior reserves officer who took classified documents from the IDF Southern Command and lost them in a parking lot in Ramat Gan has been dismissed from reserve duty, the military says.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Winner, who commanded the operational planning team in the Southern Command, a wartime role, was dismissed by the new chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor.

The IDF describes the incident in which Winner took the classified documents and dropped them while getting out of his car as a “severe operational security violation.”

The decision by Asor to dismiss him from reserve duty was supported by new IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the military says.

Still, Asor thanks Winner “for his many years of service and volunteerism, and in particular for his significant contribution during the last 17 months of fighting… in which he worked day and night for the security of the State of Israel.”

Winner’s name was recently tied up in another scandal, when it was reported a week ago by the Kan public broadcaster that he was regularly leaking information to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry.

Winner, a former aide de camp to ex-IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi, was accused over a decade ago of illegally collecting and secretly distributing materials aimed at defaming IDF officials, as well as senior politicians, as part of an internal succession battle.

He was arrested and questioned in the incident, his scheduled promotion was canceled, and he was forced out of the army in 2013, but ultimately was never charged.

Winner remained a reservist in the IDF, and in 2018 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general.

During the 2014 Gaza war, Winner was also accused of feeding information to Naftali Bennett, then a political partner of Smotrich, about IDF deployments and findings via an unapproved back channel.

7:46 am

Opposition’s Golan accuses ‘dangerous’ Netanyahu of resuming Gaza fighting to preserve his rule

Leader of The Democrats party Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on February 24, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Democrats party chief Yair Golan slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his decision to resume hostilities in the Gaza Strip, tweeting that the troops in the field and hostages in Hamas captivity “are just cards in his game of survival.”

“Netanyahu is using the lives of our citizens and soldiers because he trembles in fear of us — the public protest against the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet,” the left-wing leader claims. Golan is referring to Netanyahu’s recent announcement that he will terminate Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, whose agency is investigating alleged ties between senior Netanyahu aides and Qatar.

Israelis “must not let the madness win” and instead protest in order to save the state of Israel “from the hands of this corrupt and dangerous man,” he says.

7:41 am

Smotrich: Renewed Gaza fighting will ‘look completely different from what has been done so far’

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 10, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomes the resumption of military operations in the Gaza Strip, after the Air Force launched a series of overnight airstrikes against Hamas targets in the coastal enclave.

“As we promised,” the IDF returned to action with a “powerful attack on Gaza with the goal of destroying Hamas, returning all the hostages, and removing the threat posed by the Gaza Strip to Israeli citizens,” Smotrich tweets, describing the renewal of hostilities as a “gradual process that we have built and planned in recent weeks since the new chief of staff took office” which “will look completely different from what has been done so far.”

“We will all need to remobilize with strength, faith and determination, until victory,” he says, congratulating the troops, recently sworn-in IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“This is the moment for which we remained in the government despite our opposition to the deal, and we are more determined than ever to complete the task and destroy Hamas,” he adds.

While Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party quit Netanyahu’s coalition in January after the government agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Smotrich’s Religious Zionism preferred to remain in the coalition — while warning that it would bolt the coalition if the deal went beyond its first phase.

7:36 am

Hamas raises death toll in resumed IDF strikes in Gaza to 310

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry raises the death toll in the wave of IDF strikes in the Strip to 310.

The ministry has said over 1,000 people have been wounded.

The terror group’s figures have not been verified and don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Footage from Gaza shows dozens of children, women and elderly people among the casualties.

Israel says it doesn’t target civilians, while Hamas hides among them.

7:28 am

Netanyahu’s court testimony today canceled; PM to hold urgent security consultation at 11 a.m.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s day of testimony in his corruption trial today has been canceled amid the surprise resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Hebrew media reports.

Prosecutors have agreed to the cancellation, and the Jerusalem District Court judges overseeing the case have agreed to the defense’s request.

Instead, Netanyahu will reportedly hold an urgent security consultation with top security officials at 11 a.m.

7:18 am

Ben Gvir praises resumption of fighting against Hamas, doesn’t say if he’ll rejoin government

Otzma Yehudit party head MK Itamar Ben Gvir leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on March 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Otzma Yehudit party chairman Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes the resumption of military operations in the Gaza Strip overnight, following an extensive wave of airstrikes across the coastal territory that targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, members of the terror group’s politburo, and its infrastructure.

“We welcome the return of the State of Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to intense fighting,” Ben Gvir says in a statement.

Otzma Yehudit quit Netanyahu’s coalition in January, following through on the far-right party’s threat to exit if the government agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Ben Gvir does not say if the return to fighting will lead to his party rejoining the government. He previously said he would if the war resumes.

7:15 am

In rarity, Egyptian TV presses Hamas official on whether most Gaza casualties are military operatives or civilians

An anchor on Egypt’s Al-Qahera channel, seen as close to Cairo’s government, asks the spokesperson for Hamas’s Gaza health ministry at the start of an interview whether most of the casualties in the resumption of Israeli airstrikes have been civilians or member of “resistance factions,” an unusual question on an Arab channel.

The spokesperson, Khalil Dakran, responds that most of the injured arriving at hospitals are women, children, and the elderly.

Hamas figures routinely cast most of the casualties as women and children, and they don’t differentiate between members of terror groups and civilians.

6:18 am

Former hostage, wife of current captive post broken heart emojis as Israel resumes Gaza strikes

Hostage Omri Miran’s wife Lishay tweets a broken heart emoji shortly after Israel resumed airstrikes in Gaza in what appeared to amount to the collapse of the ceasefire after roughly two months.

Former hostage Noa Argamani posts the same thing.

???? https://t.co/6cxeGtvOiz

— Noa Argamani (@ArgamaniNoa) March 18, 2025

In its statement announcing the overnight strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel moving forward will “act against Hamas with increasing military strength, adding that the operation is designed to achieve Israel’s war aims — the dismantlement of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and the return of all remaining 59 hostages.

Most hostage families have long argued that those aims contradict each other and that a return to fighting will endanger their loved ones.

Polling over the past month has indicated that a majority of the Israeli public agrees with the hostage families and backs ending the war in exchange for the release of the hostages.

But those polls have also shown that a plurality of coalition voters back resuming the war. Netanyahu’s hardline coalition partners have also threatened to collapse the government if he ends the war before Hamas has been dismantled.

6:06 am

Night’s Gaza death toll climbs to 244, Hamas-run health ministry says

A dead person killed during an Israeli army strike is taken into the hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday March 18, 2025.(AP Photo/ Mohammad Jahjouh)

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry raises the death toll from tonight’s surprise resumption of Israeli airstrikes to 244.

The ministry adds that over 1,000 people have been wounded.

The Hamas figures have not been verified and don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Footage from Gaza shows dozens of children, women and elderly people among the casualties.

Israel insists it doesn’t target civilians, while Hamas hides among them.

4:57 am

White House: Hamas could have released hostages to extend ceasefire, but chose war

“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes tells The Times of Israel.

4:40 am

Officials from Hamas-run Gaza health ministry raise night’s death toll to 130

A fire at a tent encampment west of Khan Younis following Israeli strikes on March 18, 2025. (Screen capture; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Officials from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry say that over 130 people have been killed in tonight’s resumption of Israeli strikes throughout Gaza.

Over 300 other have been wounded, the Gaza-based sources say.

The figures have not been verified and typically conflate civilians with combatants.

According to Palestinian media reports, among those killed is Mahmoud Abu Watfa, a senior Hamas security official. Abu Watfa is the deputy head of Hamas’s interior ministry.

استشهاد اللواء محمود أبو وطفة وكيل وزارة الداخلية بغزة جراء قصف الاحتلال على مدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/cMPkh8zjEG

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 18, 2025

4:09 am

IDF says it’s prepared to widen Gaza assault beyond air raids after targeting Hamas commanders, politburo members and infrastructure

The Israeli military says it has launched an extensive wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, targeting mid-level Hamas commanders, members of the terror group’s politburo, and its infrastructure.

According to the IDF, dozens of strikes have been carried out so far. The strikes were ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The strikes come after the IDF says it identified Hamas preparations to launch attacks on Israel, along with its efforts to regroup and rearm. Katz says the strikes also come after Hamas has refused to release hostages.

The IDF says it intends to continue the airstrikes “as long as necessary,” and widen the surprise assault beyond an aerial campaign if it is ordered to.

The IDF adds that it is deployed and prepared on all fronts, including with heightened alert with its air defenses.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir is managing the operation with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar from the IDF headquarters.

Following an assessment, it was decided to postpone schools in the Gaza border communities tomorrow, as well as halt the train line to Sderot.

The IDF says it won’t be detailing further information on the campaign at this time due to operational security concerns.

The plans had been kept secret until now for the IDF to have the element of surprise.

3:43 am

Death toll from renewed Israeli strikes reportedly climbs to 59, as 150 wounded

The death toll from tonight’s renewed Israeli strikes in Gaza has climbed to 59, Al Jazeera reports, citing Gaza-based medics who add that roughly 150 have been wounded throughout the Strip.

The casualties include several children, the medics say. Unconfirmed footage from the Strip posted on social media shows several lifeless bodies of babies and toddlers.

Three houses were hit in Deir Al-Balah along with a building in Gaza City and targets in Khan Younis and Rafah, medics and witnesses tell Reuters.

3:32 am

Hamas: Israel unilaterally ending Gaza truce, exposing hostages to unknown fate

A senior Hamas official tells Reuters that Israel is unilaterally ending the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The terror group issues a statement saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s decision to resume Israel’s “aggression” against Gaza exposes the hostages “to an unknown fate.”

Hamas calls on the mediators — the US, Qatar and Egypt — to hold Netanyahu fully responsible for ending the ceasefire deal.

The terror group calls on Arab and Muslim countries to back “Palestinian resistance” aimed at “breaking the unjust blockade imposed on Gaza.”

Hamas also calls on the UN Security Council to urgently convene to issue a resolution obligating Israel to halt its “aggression.”

3:23 am

Amid renewed strikes, Katz says ‘gates of hell will open in Gaza’ if hostages not released

In a statement issued shortly after the IDF resumed strikes throughout Gaza after a nearly two-month ceasefire, Defense Minister Israel Katz says “the gates of hell will open in Gaza” and that Hamas will be hit with a force it has “never seen before” if it doesn’t release all 59 remaining hostages.

“Tonight we returned to fighting in Gaza in light of Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages and amid its threats to harm IDF soldiers and Israeli communities,” Katz says.

“We will not stop fighting until all of the hostages return home and all the war’s aims are achieved,” he adds.

Hostage families have long argued that Israel’s war aims contradict each other and that a return to fighting in order to dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities will endanger their loved ones.

Hamas has insisted on sticking with the original terms of the deal, which was supposed to enter its second phase at the beginning of the month. That phase envisioned Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza and agreeing to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages. While Israel signed on to those terms in January, Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not end the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been destroyed.

Accordingly, Israel refused to even hold talks regarding the terms of phase two, which were supposed to begin on February 3.

Nonetheless, the ceasefire had remained in place for roughly two and a half weeks after the end of phase one, as the mediators worked to broker new terms for its extension.

Accepting Israel’s aversion to phase two, Witkoff presented a bridge proposal last week that would have seen phase one extended for several weeks during which five living hostages would be released. The US envoy said Sunday that Hamas’s response to the offer was a “non-starter” and warned of impending consequences if the terror group did not change its approach.

3:07 am

At least 20 said dead in renewed Israeli strikes throughout Gaza

Al Jazeera reports that at least 20 people have been killed in the renewed Israeli air strikes against Gaza.

The casualties include children, according to other Arabic media reports.

Israel says it is striking Hamas targets throughout the Strip. The IDF has long maintained that it doesn’t target civilians, while Hamas hides among them.

Hebrew media says dozens of targets have been hit and that dozens of fighter jets are taking part in the operations.

באל-ג'זירה טוענים: לפחות 20 הרוגים כתוצאה מתקיפות צה"ל ברצועת עזה pic.twitter.com/H5rVok5u1f

— ספיר ליפקין | Sapir Lipkin | سابير ليبكين (@sapirlipkin) March 18, 2025

3:02 am

Israel reportedly gave US heads up on renewed Gaza military operations

Israel updated the Trump administration in advance about tonight’s IDF strikes in Gaza along with the objectives for the renewed military operations in the Strip, Axios reports, citing unnamed Israeli officials.

2:54 am

IDF: School cancelled in Israeli towns bordering Gaza on Tuesday amid resumption of military operations in Strip

School tomorrow has been canceled in Israeli towns near the Gaza border, the IDF’s Home Front Command says upon updating its guidelines due to the IDF’s overnight return to military operations in the Strip.

The directives for towns in the Western Negev and western Lachish regions remain the same, the Home Front Command says.

2:40 am

PM: IDF launching strikes throughout Gaza after Hamas refused repeated hostage deal offers

Illustrative: Smoke billows during strikes on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024 (SAID KHATIB / AFP)

The IDF is launching strikes throughout Gaza after receiving orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to “act forcefully” against Hamas amid the terror group’s refusal to release Israeli hostages, the premier’s office says.

The IDF attacks appear to mark a return to the Israeli military campaign against Hamas that was halted with the start of a ceasefire on January 19, though the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office does not explicitly say this.

“At the direction of the political echelon, the IDF and Shin Bet are extensively attacking Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip,” the IDF and Shin Bet say in a subsequent joint statement, adding that additional details will be provided shortly.

Netanyahu’s office says Hamas “rejected all offers it received” from US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff and the other mediators.

Hamas has insisted on sticking with the original terms of the deal, which was supposed to enter its second phase at the beginning of the month. That phase envisioned Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza and agreeing to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages. While Israel signed on to the deal, Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not end the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been destroyed.

Accordingly, Israel refused to even hold talks regarding the terms of phase two, which were supposed to begin on February 3.

Nonetheless, the ceasefire had been remaining in place for roughly two and a half weeks after the conclusion of the first phase, as mediators worked to broker new terms for the truce’s extension.

In its statement announcing the overnight strike, Netanyahu’s office says they are aimed at achieving Israel’s war aims, which are the dismantlement of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and the return of the hostages.

Hostage families have long argued that those aims contradict each other and that a return to fighting will endanger their loved ones.

“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,” Netanyahu’s office says, adding that the plans for the resumption of IDF operations were approved last week by the political echelon.

2:18 am

Some 80,000 pages of JFK files will be released Tuesday, Trump says

US President Donald Trump, who has ordered the release of classified documents related to the 1963 assassination of former president John F. Kennedy, says that his administration will make public around 80,000 pages of files related to the former president on Tuesday.

“People have been waiting for decades for this,” Trump tells reporters during a visit to The Kennedy Center in Washington.

“It’s going to be very interesting.”

Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to present a plan to release records related to the assassinations of Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said in early February it had found thousands of new documents related to the assassination of Kennedy.

Trump signed an order during his first week in office related to the release and promised to release also documents concerning the assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy, both of whom were killed in 1968.

12:59 am

US spy drone retreats near Tehran’s airspace — Iranian media