Israel reenters Gaza corridor, new evacuation orders soon, 436 Palestinians, including 183 kids, killed | Updates

Israel said it has retaken part of the Netzarim corridor in Gaza, which divides the north of the Palestinian strip with the south, AP reported. It added that as per a statement from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, operations would “intensify” until Hamas cedes to their demands.

Katz also said the military would soon order Palestinians to evacuate from combat zones and warned the March 18 aerial bombardment “was just the first step” in Israel's plan to pressure Hamas “with an intensity that you have not known.”

Israel-Gaza: Top 10 Updates — March 20, 2025

• The Israeli military said it had retaken part of the 6 km Netzarim Corridor, which it had previously withdrawn as part of the January ceasefire deal.
• Israel has called it a “limited ground operation” to create a “partial buffer between northern and southern Gaza.” It claimed bombardment of militants and militant sites, and denied that it hit the UN guesthouse.
• The ceasefire was fully shattered on March 18 by Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 436 Palestinians, including 183 children and 94 women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It added that another 678 people have been wounded.

• Before this week's attacks, Israel and Hamas were set to negotiate an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which lasted six weeks, as per the report.
• Hamas has demanded that Israel stick to the terms of the initial ceasefire deal, but Israel has proposed to extend the truce, without a commitment to end the war.
• As per the United Nations, one employee and five others were killed in a strike that hit its guesthouse in Gaza on March 19. Further details of those killed was not released. Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services did not say who was responsible for the strikes on March 17 and 18, but noted it was not accidental or related to demining activity.
• There have been no reports of rocket attacks by Hamas since Israel bombarded Gaza on March 18. Spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanou said the presence of Israeli ground forces in Gaza proves the country has backed out of the truce, the AP report said.

• Within Israel, thousands participated in anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem, to demand a deal to bring those held by Hamas home.
• On March 29, demonstrators gathered around Israel's parliament and later marched near President Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem, where police sprayed water to try to clear them.
• At least 49,000 Palestinians have been killed and 90 per cent of the population displaced since October 2023, according to Gaza health officials.  On October 7 2023, Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages — 51 of whom remain with the group, and over half of them are believed to be dead.

(With inputs from AP)