Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (March 18 – 25, 2025)

IDF operations in the Gaza Strip

• This past week IDF forces continued attacking Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip, part of Operation Strength and Sword which began on March 18, 2025. The attacks included ground advances and aerial strikes on terrorist operatives, including figures in the Hamas leadership, and on terrorist facilities, rocket launchers and weapons. More than one hundred pickup trucks used by Hamas terrorist operatives during the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre and for transporting weapons were also attacked. Prior to the activity, the IDF issued organized evacuation notices to local residents (IDF spokesperson, March 18–25, 2025):
  • Northern Gaza Strip: IDF forces operated along the coastal route in the areas of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun. A Hamas command and control facility used to attack IDF forces and Israeli civilians was destroyed.
  • Central Gaza Strip: IDF forces re-entered the Netzarim Corridor creating a partial buffer zone between the northern and southern Gaza Strip. The forces had completely withdrawn from the Netzarim Corridor as part of the ceasefire agreement.
  • Southern Gaza Strip: IDF forces operated in the Shaboura neighborhood of Rafah and destroyed terrorist facilities. The forces also encircled the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, eliminated terrorist operatives and raided a Hamas command and control facility.

       
IDF forces in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesperson, March 19, 2025)

• • Elimination of terrorist operatives: IDF forces, with the assistance of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), carried out targeted eliminations of terrorist operatives in the political and military ranks of Hamas and other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip, including Isma’il Barhoum, a member of the Hamas political bureau and the de facto prime minister of Hamas in the Gaza Strip; Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the Hamas political bureau; Muhammad Hassan al-Amour, escort and bodyguard of former Hamas political bureau head Yahya al-Sinwar; Rashid Jahjouh, head of Hamas general security; Osama Tabesh, head of Hamas military intelligence in the southern Strip, who also headed Hamas’ observation and targeting department; Hassan Ali al-Na’am, commander of the rocket unit in the PIJ military wing; and Hussam Shabat, Hamas operative who worked as a correspondent for Al Jazeera.

• The Hamas ministry of health in the Gaza Strip reported that since the resumption of IDF military activity on March 18, 2025, 792 people had been killed and 1,663 wounded. According to the ministry, since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, the number of dead in the Gaza Strip stands at 50,144 and 113,704 wounded (ministry of health in Gaza Telegram channel, March 25, 2025).
• In preparation for the ground activity, the IDF spokesperson in Arabic issued evacuation notices, instructing Gazans to move along designated routes toward shelters in Gaza City and the Khan Yunis area (Avichay Adraee’s X account, March 18–25, 2025). Pictures were published of large numbers of Gazans leaving for the shelters (Quds News Agency Telegram channel, March 18–25, 2025).

       
Right: Gazans leave Khan Yunis (Quds Agency Telegram channel, March 19, 2025). Left: Gazans leave Tel al-Sultan in Rafah (al-Aqsa TV Telegram channel, March 23, 2025)

• On March 21, 2025, Palestinian media outlets reported that IDF forces, operating along the Netzarim Corridor, blew up the Turkish al-Sadaqa hospital in al-Zahra’, to the north of the Corridor. “Palestinian sources” claimed the IDF blew up the medical faculty building of the Islamic University of Gaza, which is adjacent to the main hospital building, causing the structure to collapse. The IDF stated that terrorist operatives were targeted in a Hamas facility at a site which previously served as a hospital in the central Gaza Strip, and that the structure attacked had not functioned as a hospital for over a year (Quds News Agency and Anadolu Agency, March 21, 2025).
• The Rafah Municipality warned that thousands of civilians in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood were “under siege and heavy bombardment,” without water, food, medicine or communications, and health services had completely collapsed. The municipality claimed that contact with rescue and civil defense teams had been lost for more than 36 hours and there was concern for their fate. The municipality accused Israel of “war crimes,” called for the immediate involvement of the international community and demanded the opening of safe corridors for the evacuation of civilians, the entry of humanitarian aid, the cessation of attacks and an investigation into the fate of the rescue teams (Rafah Municipality Facebook page, March 24, 2025).

Rocket fire

• This past week eight rockets were fired into Israeli territory, for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19, 2025. Three were fired toward the Greater Tel Aviv area, the first such attack since October 2024. Two rockets were fired at Ashkelon and three at the area surrounding the Gaza Strip. Six of the rockets were intercepted and two fell in open areas; no casualties or damage were reported. The IDF attacked the areas from which the rockets had been fired after evacuation notices were issued to local residents (IDF spokesperson, March 18–25, 2025). The military wings of Hamas and the PIJ claimed responsibility for the rocket fire (Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas] and the Jerusalem Brigades [PIJ] Telegram channels, March 18–25, 2025).

Terrorist organization activity

• “Sources,” some from Hamas, reported that during the ceasefire, Hamas had extracted some of the tools and equipment from tunnels or production sites attacked and destroyed by Israel. Reportedly, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades repaired the equipment and found some of it intact and undamaged by the airstrikes. According to the “sources,” the military wing’s leadership hoped for an extended ceasefire to resume producing rockets, explosive devices and other weapons, and the Brigades had already begun limited production because of a shortage of raw materials. They noted that rockets and anti-tank missiles, such as Kornet and Yassin 105 and others, were located in their storage areas or in the homes of commanders and operatives, and even in tunnels. The “sources” said the military wing was working on reorganization and recruiting new “fighters” in preparation for the possibility of a return to combat, something they had done during the war in the northern Gaza Strip (al-Sharq al-Awsat, March 18, 2025).
• “Sources ” in the Gaza Strip reported that the “resistance”^[2] was monitoring all ground movements of Israeli forces throughout the Gaza Strip, and armed squads had been trained to attack them according to conditions on the ground with specific tactics according to specific instructions. The “sources” claimed there were squads tracking and filming all Israeli movements and passing the information to their field commanders for assessment. The squads were reportedly equipped with light and medium weapons as well as grenades, explosive devices and anti-tank missiles, and had ambushes prepared to confront an Israeli ground invasion if the operation expanded. The “sources” claimed the Israeli forces were currently deployed in “unsafe,” mostly open areas, and therefore the “resistance” fighters^[3] were unable to confront them, lest they be detected and attacked from the air or by tanks (al-Sharq al-Awsat, March 22, 2025).

• Hamas condemned the renewed activity of IDF forces in the Gaza Strip and blamed Israel for the collapse of the ceasefire. It also reiterated that the movement still wanted to advance to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement and the release of the hostages, the withdrawal of IDF forces and an end to the war:
  • Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua claimed Israel’s closing the Salah al-Din route connecting the northern and southern parts of the Strip violated the ceasefire agreement and escalated the “siege” on the Gaza Strip. He claimed the Strip was [allegedly] subject to “mass extermination, siege and starvation,” with no consideration for the month of Ramadan or respect for international law. He blamed Israel, the United States and the international community for remaining silent in the face of “Israel’s crimes and destruction of life” in the Strip and its abandoning the signed agreement. However, he also claimed Hamas was prepared to discuss any proposal which would lead to negotiations on the second phase of the agreement and to a complete end to the war. He claimed Hamas was committed to stopping the bloodshed and was open to any effort that would bring end the fighting and make Israel withdraw from the Strip. He also claimed that the continuation of the war served only Prime Minister Netanyahu and his political future, while endangering the lives of the Israeli “prisoners” [hostages] in the Gaza Strip (Abd al-Latif al-Qanua’s Telegram channel, March 19, 2025).
  • “Hamas sources” claimed the movement had not rejected the proposal of Steven Witkoff, the American envoy to the Middle East, but imposed a condition in the second phase of the agreement. Hamas claimed it was prepared to discuss any proposal which included the release of “prisoner” IDF soldiers, provided there was immediate progress to the second phase (al-Araby al-Jadeed, March 19, 2025). The State Department said there was still an internationally mediated proposal to extend the ceasefire, under which five hostages would be released, including a live Israeli soldier with American citizenship, along with the release of a significant number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. It was further noted that the possibility of reaching an agreement still existed, but the time for acceptance was limited (Reuters, March 19, 2025).
  • Taher al-Nunu, media advisor to the head of the Hamas political bureau, said the mediators had to make every effort to compel the “occupation” to implement the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. He claimed Hamas had shown “sufficient flexibility” and “the occupation” was blocking efforts for calm and a ceasefire. He claimed the negotiations had not stopped and the American administration was “aware of Hamas flexibility” in the talks (Al Jazeera, March 20, 2025).
  • Khaled Mashaal, head of the “external” Hamas political bureau, claimed that the objective of the renewal of the war in the Gaza Strip was not to create pressure in the negotiations but to feed Israel’s desire for revenge for the October 7, 2023 attack and to implement the policy of “displacing” the Palestinian population. He claimed the objective of Israel’s “violations” of the ceasefire agreement and its renewed “aggression,” backed by the American administration, was to solidify Israel’s regional dominance. He attacked Witkoff’s plan, claiming it was designed to extort Hamas and deprive it of the “prisoners” card without implementing the final stage of ending the war. He also warned that renewed escalation in the Strip would drag in the entire region, from Jordan and Lebanon to Turkey and Iran, and said there was a need for a comprehensive Arab-Islamic response which included media resistance, financial support and political pressure to reject the idea of “displacement” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 21, 2025).
  • A Hamas delegation headed by Khalil al-Haya, head of the political bureau in the Gaza Strip, met in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. They discussed recent developments in the Strip, Israel’s “violations” of the ceasefire, and their humanitarian and political implications. The Hamas delegation emphasized that it was committed to the ceasefire agreement and was demonstrating full flexibility to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, “prisoner” exchanges and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The Turkish foreign minister reiterated his country’s position supporting the Palestinians, condemning the destruction in the Strip and calling for immediate reconstruction and the resumption of humanitarian aid (Hamas Telegram channel, March 22, 2025).

• • A “Hamas figure” said the movement’s negotiation team was “showing flexibility” and was open to any proposal for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement signed under American mediation in January 2025. He claimed Israel violated the agreement with the backing of the Trump administration, which was giving Netanyahu cover to continue the “war of extermination” in the Strip (Filastin al-Yawm Telegram channel, March 22, 2025).
  • Hamas’ Sami Abu Zuhri claimed the targeted attacks on the movement’s senior figures “will not deter us from continuing our path,” adding that “the blood of Hamas leaders is not more precious than that of the children and youths of Gaza.” He added that Israel was delusional if it thought it could erase Hamas by eliminating some of its leaders. He said Israel used the ceasefire to collect intelligence on the movement’s leaders in order to target them, claiming that the “occupation” never intended to complete the ceasefire agreement and end the war, but only to exchange its “prisoners” [hostages] for Palestinian prisoners. He also claimed that what was currently happening in the Strip was a translation of Trump’s threats to “open the gates of hell” (al-Aqsa TV, March 24, 2025).
• “Exclusive Egyptian sources” reported that mediators in Egypt and Qatar told the Hamas leadership that the negotiations had reached a dead end, despite the leadership’s willingness to discuss the latest Egyptian proposal to release a number of hostages in exchange for a “humanitarian” ceasefire. An “Arab diplomatic source” claimed there was an “agreement” to exert “maximum pressure” on Hamas and weaken its control on the ground in the Strip “to force it to accept concessions that the Arab parties consider necessary to reach a solution to the Palestinian issue.” Other “sources” reported that Hamas had rejected a proposal to exile its leaders and leaders of other factions from the Strip due to the lack of a clear path to ending the war (al-Araby al-Jadeed, March 25, 2025).

The situation on the ground

• The ministry of health in Ramallah warned of a public health disaster following continued Israeli strikes, the closure of the crossings and the tightening of the “siege” on the Gaza Strip. According to the ministry, the public health system in the Strip was on the verge of total collapse, with hospitals operating at double capacity and suffering from a severe shortage of medications, medical equipment and fuel to power generators. Reportedly, more than 80% of medical facilities had been shut down and the remaining ones were functioning under difficult conditions, with staff shortages and unable to perform urgent surgeries (Wafa, March 19, 2025).
• Fares Afaneh, director of Gaza’s ambulance unit, said only one ambulance remained active in the northern Gaza Strip, all the others having [allegedly] been destroyed by the IDF. He claimed that after a strike on a mourning tent in Beit Lahiya, they had to evacuate the dead and wounded in private vehicles. He claimed the remaining vehicles were in poor condition and called for the urgent supply of new ambulances, given the continued strikes and the scale of civilian casualties (Shehab Agency, March 20, 2025).
• The Palestinian Red Crescent announced the reopening of al-Quds Hospital in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City. According to reports, two operating rooms, the emergency room, outpatient clinics, the intensive care unit, the radiology department and the laboratory were prepared to provide medical services (Palestinian Red Crescent Society Facebook page, March 20, 2025).

Hamas governance

• According to claims, Hamas internal security operatives looted World Food Programme (WFP) warehouses in Beit Hanoun. In response, many residents expressed rage toward those responsible, demanding their full names be revealed, arguing there was no reason to hide their identities. Some commenters noted that the situation was not new and Hamas and other “security entities” had committed theft in the past, as well as being responsible for systemic corruption and the failure of local leadership. According to claims, merchants sold flour at inflated prices while creating a false shortage and Hamas policemen cooperated with merchants in exchange for payment (Hamza al-Masri’s Facebook page, March 19, 2025).
• According to reports, “resistance” security forces arrested a group of merchants who raised prices after the renewal of fighting in the Gaza Strip and punished the merchants in various ways, from forcing them to sell at “regular prices” to physical punishment. They also warned merchants not to manipulate prices or hoard goods, saying anyone who dared to cooperate with the “enemy’s” plans to weaken the home front would be “struck with an iron fist” (al-Hares Telegram channel, March 19, 2025).
• According to reports, on March 21, 2025, “resistance” security forces executed [an alleged] collaborator with Israel, identified only by his initials, 48 years of age. In a “revolutionary court,” the man reportedly confessed he had collaborated with Israeli security services, transmitted information and helped identify locations, leading to “civilian deaths” during the war. He reportedly began cooperating with the “enemy” in 2020 after an Israeli intelligence officer at the Erez Crossing induced him to provide information in exchange for a permit to work in Israel. He was asked to document the deployment of police and security forces in markets and streets, and to provide coordinates of schools and shelters for displaced persons which [allegedly] later became targets for attacks. It was also claimed that he spread rumors to incite the population against the “resistance.” A commander in the security forces said “the hand of the resistance will not have mercy on anyone who collaborates with the enemy in killing our people,” and called on those still involved in collaboration to repent “before it is too late” (al-Hares Telegram channel, March 21 and 24, 2025).^[4]
• A Gazan named Wael al-Mabitch posted an appeal to Muhammad al-Sinwar, acting head of Hamas’ military wing, asking why the movement allowed the war to continue. He wrote, “How many dead, wounded, widows and orphans will be enough for you? Will your conscience be at peace when Palestinians are uprooted by force from the Gaza Strip? Has Hamas rule become more important than the lives of two million residents of the Strip? You want to keep Hamas in power even at the cost of the last Palestinian child.” Al-Mabitch added that the main issue for Israel right now was not the hostages but Hamas rule, and asked, “When will you show responsibility and do what the situation demands of you to save the people?” He ended, “Have mercy on the people, announce your resignation and hand over the hostages, that is the path to true salvation” (Wael al-Mabitch’s Facebook page, March 21, 2025).

• “Arab diplomatic sources” claimed that Egypt and Jordan had recently changed their positions regarding the idea of the emigration of Palestinian residents from the Gaza Strip. According to one “source,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed willingness to promote a process for approximately half a million Palestinians to be temporarily evacuated to a city in northern Sinai, indicating a potential opening of the border for asylum seekers from the Gaza Strip. According to the report, the positions, conveyed in regional forums in Riyadh and Doha, were accompanied by American and Israeli pressure (al-Akhbar, March 21, 2025). Egypt denied the report, which it claimed completely contradicted its position against the emigration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip (al-Ghad, March 21, 2025).
• Mundhir al-Hayek, Fatah spokesman in the Gaza Strip, called on Hamas to withdraw from power and warned that its continued rule could pose a real threat to the existence of the Palestinian people. He said Hamas had to show compassion toward the Gazans, its men, women and children, and act responsibly to prevent another disaster (Agence France-Presse, March 22, 2025).
• Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said that at the start of the fighting his movement had insisted that control over the Strip was a Palestinian internal matter. He added that Hamas spoke of establishing a unity government that would govern both Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, and that had been stipulated in the Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Beijing in July 2023. He claimed that after Fatah refused to implement the agreement, Hamas agreed to the Egyptian proposal to establish a support committee of independent figures to manage the affairs of the Strip and be connected to the government in Ramallah (Quds News Agency Telegram channel, March 22, 2025).
• “Hamas sources” confirmed that the movement’s leadership had recently proposed a five- to ten-year ceasefire (hudna), with an option for extension, during which it would [allegedly] disarm, along with guarantees from the United States and other countries that Hamas would not pose a threat to Israel. According to a “senior source,” the movement had [allegedly] been open to the idea “for years,” even before the war, but not since it began, and that Israel had [allegedly] rejected the proposal. The “sources” explained that the goal was to reorganize the movement after it lost thousands of its “members” in the war, including leaders and fighters, and to conduct a comprehensive reassessment of the situation, including regarding its relations with the Palestinian Authority, other Palestinian factions and Israel. Hamas will [allegedly] seek to reach a comprehensive Palestinian agreement with all factions to rebuild the PLO and the Palestinian National Council in order to allow the movement to join those bodies (al-Sharq al-Awsat, March 25, 2025).

Terrorist attacks

• Shooting and vehicle ramming attack near the northern Israeli town of Yokneam: On March 24, 2025, an Arab-Israeli terrorist from Wadi Ara drove his car into a soldier at a transport station near the Tishbi Junction. He then stabbed and wounded the soldier, grabbed his weapon and began shooting at vehicles. An Israeli civilian was critically injured and later died. Israeli security forces in the area shot and killed the terrorist (Israel Police Force Telegram channel and Israeli media, March 24, 2025).

Counterterrorism activity

• This past the week, Israeli security forces continued Operation Iron Wall in northern Judea and Samaria, as well as routine security operations. The forces eliminated a terrorist operative planning an attack, and detained dozens of wanted Palestinians and those suspected of terrorist activity, including Palestinians who threw rocks at Israeli vehicles. The forces confiscated weapons and seized funds intended for financing terrorist activities. An IDF soldier was seriously wounded by gunfire during an operation in Nablus (IDF spokesperson, March 18–25, 2025). The media committee in the Jenin refugee camp claimed that Israeli security forces had delivered warnings ahead of the demolition of dozens of homes in several central areas of Jenin and the refugee camp. “Palestinian sources” claimed the demolitions were part of an Israeli policy of “collective punishment” in response to terrorist attacks or assistance to terrorists, while Israeli authorities claimed the structures were built without permits (Jerusalem Is Our Goal, March 23, 2025).

International activity

• Mahmoud Abbas, PA chairman, met in Ramallah with Kaja Kallas, the EU representative for foreign affairs, and praised the EU’s positions in support of the two-state solution, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and its willingness to fund reforms in the PA. He noted the need for international pressure to end the war in the Gaza Strip, open the crossings and secure a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, as well as the demand to stop military activity in Judea and Samaria and the expansion of the settlements. Finally, he called for European recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and for full membership of “Palestine” in the United Nations (Wafa, March 24, 2025).
• Muhammad Mustafa, PA prime minister, held a press conference with Kallas, where he noted the “severity” of Israeli “violations” in Judea and Samaria, and the “forced displacement” of about fifty thousand Palestinians from the refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm, along with the destruction in the Gaza Strip. He called on the international community to intervene and hold Israel accountable, and thanked the EU for its support of the Palestinian government, reform and reconstruction efforts in the Strip, and called for active participation in the upcoming donors’ conference in Cairo and the upcoming UN conference in New York led by Saudi Arabia and France. Kallas said the EU viewed the PA as a legitimate governing body for the Gaza Strip and would support it in the reconstruction process. She stressed that the continued destruction and the violence by settlers in Judea and Samaria undermined the chances of a two-state solution, the only path to sustainable peace (Wafa, March 24, 2025).

• Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary of the PLO’s Executive Committee, met in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. They discussed developments in the Palestinian arena, ways to end the war in the Gaza Strip and the need to stabilize the ceasefire. Al-Sheikh briefed Fidan on the PA leadership’s activities to end the Gazans’ suffering. Fidan reiterated his country’s position supporting the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state within the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital (Hussein al-Sheikh’s X account, March 19, 2025).
• At the Arab League session in Cairo, Muhannad al-Aklouk, “Palestine” representative to the League, called on the countries of the world to fulfill their obligations to protect the Palestinian people and urged them to ensure that Israel respected international law by imposing sanctions and an economic and military boycott. He accused Israel of “aggression, genocide and ethnic cleansing” and of threatening Arab security, while attempting to annex more than 70% of Judea and Samaria, seize natural resources and change the status quo in Jerusalem and the holy sites. He also said the latest Arab summit had supported national unity under the PLO and the establishment of a “Palestine” government which would also rule the Gaza Strip, with a commitment to unified governance, law and order. He said the only path to legitimate representation was general democratic elections within a year across all Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem (Wafa, March 19, 2025).
• Rawhi Fattouh, chairman of the Palestinian National Council, participated in the conference of parliamentary leaders in Strasbourg, France. He presented the major challenges faced by the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria, and accused the Israeli government of violating agreements and preventing the implementation of a political solution. He called on the international community, especially the Council of Europe and European governments, to take concrete steps to stop the war and the “occupation,” to implement UN resolutions and to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. During the conference Fattouh met with parliamentary leaders, including the President of the Council of Europe and its secretary general, who called for continued support for the Palestinians. Meeting with the deputy speaker of the Spanish Parliament, he emphasized the importance of Spain’s recognition of “Palestine,” as it expressed ongoing commitment and even advanced an initiative to ban arms exports to Israel (Wafa, March 22, 2025).

The PA security forces

• The PA security forces reportedly confiscated and detonated seven large explosive devices in the town of Tayasir and two large explosive devices in Tubas, which had been planted by the “resistance”^[5] (Ahrar Tubas Telegram channel, March 18, 2025).
• PA security forces raided the “cemetery of the shaheeds” in the town of Tamun, south of Tubas, and removed Hamas and PIJ flags from graves (Quds News Network Telegram channel, March 24, 2025). According to later reports, local residents restored the flags (Jenin Camp Hornet’s Nest Telegram channel, March 24, 2025).
• PA security forces reportedly transferred a Lau rocket to Israel which was found near Tulkarm (al-Quds and Palestine News, March 24, 2025).