Posted on 03/18/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday morning with senior defense officials at the Kirya Base in Tel Aviv for a situational assessment after the surprise attack in the Gaza Strip.
In the past few hours, Hamas has conveyed messages that the terror organization is interested in restoring the ceasefire and negotiating the release of hostages.
A Hamas spokesperson told Reuters that communication with ceasefire negotiation mediators was ongoing and it is keen to complete the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
In the meantime, IDF and ISA are continuing to strike terror targets belonging to the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations across the Gaza Strip.
The IDF stated that the targets struck over the past few hours include terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure used by these terror organizations to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
At the same time, the IDF Home Front command is calling on Israelis around the country to be prepared for the possibility that the fighting would affect areas beyond the Gaza envelope.
Home Front Command public relations officer BG (Res.) Chilik Sofer told Ynet that "most of the country is not under restrictions, but every citizen must know how to go from 0 to 100, not only in the Gaza envelope. I recommend that everyone around the country prepare shelters. There is no way to know what the day may bring."
The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) began conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning, in accordance with the political echelon, said the IDF and Shin Bet in a joint statement.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Information Ministry claims that over 300 people were killed in the attack. Among the terrorists who were eliminated, Arab media is reporting that Issam al-Da'alis, considered to be the equivalent to Hamas's "Prime Minister," was killed.
The strikes were overseen by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar from the Kirya base in Tel Aviv.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday night that Israel had consulted the US before launching the attack
She added, “All hell will break loose, and all of the terrorists in the Middle East, again, the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, Iranian-backed terror proxies, and Iran themselves should take President Trump very seriously when he says he is not afraid to stand for law-abiding people. He is not afraid to stand up for the United States of America and our friend and our ally, Israel.”