Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on Gaza, following the collapse of negotiations to extend a ceasefire. The strikes have resulted in significant casualties, while efforts to resume peace talks remain stalled.
Israel has confirmed it launched its most intense airstrikes on Gaza since the January ceasefire, conducting at least 35 strikes overnight. Palestinian health officials report more than 100 fatalities, with many others injured, as truce extension negotiations collapsed.
The Israeli military stated it targeted "terror sites" linked to Hamas. The Palestinian civil emergency service confirmed that at least 35 airstrikes hit multiple locations, with medics reporting significant civilian casualties, including children. This marks the largest wave of airstrikes since the ceasefire ended on 1 March.
Eyewitnesses described the destruction, with one Gaza resident, holding a baby, saying that almost their entire family was killed and their house collapsed.
Israel accuses Hamas of failing to release hostages, warning of intensified military actions against the group. Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire. As a result, the fate of 59 hostages in Gaza remains uncertain.
Hamas previously released 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 prisoners, but talks for a second phase of the ceasefire to release 60 more hostages and end the conflict have stalled. U.S. proposals to extend the ceasefire have also failed, with both sides at an impasse. Mediators from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar are working to revive the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume the war and stop food and aid deliveries to Gaza. Hamas has stated it will only release hostages if Israel lifts its blockade, withdraws from a strategic corridor, and frees more Palestinian prisoners.
So far, the ongoing conflict has claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The war escalated following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed more than 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages.
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Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
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