Israeli Military Launches Ground Operations Across Gaza Strip
On March 20, 2025, the Israeli Defense Forces initiated ground operations in the Gaza Strip, marking an escalation in their conflict with Hamas after a ceasefire collapsed. The IDF aims to expand defensive zones, targeting Hamas infrastructure amid increasing humanitarian crises. International calls for de-escalation contrast with Israel's military objectives, further complicating regional stability.
hassan benyoub 
Gaza Strip, March 20, 2025, 2:00 PM PDT – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Thursday the initiation of ground operations across various parts of the Gaza Strip, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict with Hamas. The move, detailed in a statement on X by @IDF at 11:30 AM local time, aims to expand the defensive buffer zone between northern and southern Gaza, amid intensified military efforts following the collapse of a ceasefire, as reported by The Times of Israel and Reuters.
Details of the Operations
The IDF stated that one operation targets expanding the defensive zone along the Salah al-Din Road, a key highway running the length of Gaza, restricting civilian movement between the north and south to the coastal Rashid Road only. Later on Thursday, the IDF announced a ground operation along the coastal area of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, aiming to neutralize Hamas infrastructure, per @IDF’s X update. The military, in coordination with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), conducted preemptive airstrikes on Hamas’s anti-tank missile launch sites and terrorist infrastructure in Beit Lahia, as detailed in a press release on idf.il.
Overnight, the IDF and Shin Bet continued targeting “terrorist targets” across Gaza, with Israeli Air Force jets striking dozens of militants, military buildings, combat equipment, and additional terrorist infrastructure posing threats to Israeli forces and civilians, according to the statement. These actions follow Israel’s resumption of major military operations on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, after rejecting the second phase of a ceasefire agreement, per Yedioth Ahronoth.
Strategic Objectives and Regional Impact
The IDF’s operations include plans to establish an additional barrier in the Netzarim area, a strategic corridor separating northern and southern Gaza, as reported earlier Thursday by Yedioth Ahronoth. This aligns with Israel’s stated goal of dismantling Hamas’s military capabilities and securing the release of hostages, with 58 still held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead, per @IDF on X. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that negotiations for hostage release will now proceed “under fire,” as cited in The Jerusalem Post.
The escalation has triggered mass displacement, with families fleeing north Gaza amid rubble, using donkey carts or walking southward, as shown in X videos by @UNRWA. The Gaza Civil Defense reported at least 10 deaths and dozens injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting homes in southern Gaza early Thursday, per Al Jazeera.
Humanitarian and Political Fallout
Since Tuesday’s strikes, which killed hundreds of Palestinians—raising the conflict’s toll to over 48,570, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s Monday update on X—the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened. Israel’s blockade, blocking aid and cutting electricity, has left 2.4 million Palestinians in dire need, per UNICEF’s March 2025 report on X. Hamas accused Israel of “sabotaging” the January 19 ceasefire, remaining open to indirect talks but demanding a permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, and humanitarian access, as stated on X by @HamasInfo.
Internationally, the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and the UN have urged de-escalation, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on X calling for “protecting civilians,” per The Washington Post. However, Israel, backed by the U.S., insists the operations are necessary, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on X warning of “unprecedented measures” if hostages aren’t released and Hamas isn’t eradicated, per Haaretz.
