Washington/Gaza, March 21, 2025: U.S. President Donald Trump has declared his full support for Israel’s renewed air and ground invasion of Gaza, which has claimed 700 Palestinian lives, including 200 children, in just three days.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Israel’s actions, blaming Hamas for the mass killings of Palestinian civilians.
“He fully supports Israel and the IDF [Israeli military] and the actions that they’ve taken in recent days,” Leavitt told reporters when asked about efforts to revive the Gaza ceasefire.
Israel unilaterally ended a two-month ceasefire on Tuesday, launching a wave of devastating airstrikes that have targeted residential areas, killing hundreds, including scores of women and children.
One of the deadliest attacks struck the Abu Daqa family’s home in Abasan al-Kabira, a village near Khan Younis. At least 16 people, mostly women and children, were killed. Among them were a father and his seven children, as well as the parents and brother of a one-month-old baby who miraculously survived.
“It was a bloody night for the people of Beit Lahiya,” said Fares Awad, head of Gaza’s emergency services, describing the relentless bombardment.
Rescue workers continued digging through collapsed homes, pulling out the bodies of more children buried under rubble.
In response to the growing death toll, Hamas launched rocket strikes on Tel Aviv on Thursday. Israel then sealed off Gaza’s main north-south road, expanding its ground assault that began on Wednesday.
The ceasefire, brokered in January, had temporarily halted Israel’s months-long assault that has already killed over 62,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins. However, Israel abandoned the truce after only implementing the first phase of the agreement, despite months of mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly aims to prolong limited prisoner swaps while continuing military operations, with the ultimate goal of occupying Gaza. The U.S. has backed this strategy, as Washington continues to support Israeli military operations and mass displacement of Palestinians.
Hamas has urged mediators to pressure Israel into honoring the ceasefire deal. The group has also expressed willingness to transfer governance of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority or an independent political body but insists it will not lay down arms until Israel ends its decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories.
