Israel planning renewed Gaza offensive in March, report says

UN agencies and aid groups warn that humanitarian assistance in Gaza remains far short of needs. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said aid “is still not at scale,” with people living in fragile, non-waterproof tents and lacking almost everything. UN OCHA added that recent storms have damaged temporary learning spaces and roads used to deliver aid. Critics say Israel’s new restrictions on humanitarian organisations—affecting 37 groups including Doctors Without Borders—breach the US-brokered ceasefire and risk “devastating” consequences; MSF warned hundreds of thousands could be cut off from essential care if access is blocked. Arab and European countries have urged Israel to permit sustainable, predictable and unrestricted access, especially during the harsh winter conditions. Israeli military planners have drawn up a plan to launch a renewed offensive in Gaza in March to seize more territory and push the “Yellow Line” west toward the coast, the Times of Israel reported, citing Israeli officials and an Arab diplomat. The move comes despite a US‑brokered ceasefire on 10 October 2025 that left Israeli forces pulled back to the Yellow Line and controlling roughly 53% of the Gaza Strip; the military says the operation is needed because Hamas has not disarmed. The planned March push would focus on Gaza City and expand areas under Israeli control. Hamas said it will dissolve Gaza’s governing bodies and hand authority to a technocratic committee, and accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and obstructing the transition to the ceasefire’s second phase, which envisions an international stabilization force. Israeli opposition to Turkey’s participation has reportedly discouraged other countries (Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia) from contributing troops. The report says nearly 1,200 ceasefire violations over three months have killed 439 Palestinians; the Palestinian health ministry places the total death toll since 7 October 2023 at more than 71,400, including at least 20,000 children, with thousands still missing. Gaza’s civil defence lacks the heavy equipment needed to recover bodies as recent bad weather worsens living conditions across the enclave. UNRWA and an inter-agency Shelter Cluster report say flooding and collapsing shelters from Storm Byron have affected about 65,000 families and left over one million people needing emergency shelter assistance. Humanitarian response is further constrained by an Israeli blockade that keeps crossings closed and severely restricts aid.