Israel launched a major aerial offensive against Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip overnight on March 17-18, resulting in more than 420 Palestinian deaths, including 130 children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. 

The ambush came in response to what Israeli officials described as Hamas's persistent rejection of hostage release proposals but has been roundly condemned by foreign countries for the severity of the hit on a tent camp area of displaced people from northern parts of Gaza.

While the Israeli government may have announced its justification for this action, even obtaining US approval beforehand, the resumption of hostilities has triggered sharply divided responses within Israeli society, even those who were recently released from Hamas captivity.

Itamar Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit faction, which previously withdrew from the government coalition over disagreements regarding ceasefire terms, quickly endorsed the renewed campaign. “We welcome the return of the State of Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to intense fighting,” the faction stated, according to Israel's Channel 14.

In stark contrast, some family members of hostages still held in Gaza expressed their opposition to the development. “As we feared, Netanyahu, in order to preserve his coalition and strengthen his rule, launched an attack on Hamas in Gaza—not to bring back the hostages, but to bring Ben Gvir back into the government,” Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod remains in captivity, told The Jerusalem Post.

“The return to fighting means that The State of Israel decided to give up on the hostages,” added Udi Goren, whose cousin Tal Haimi's body is still held by Hamas

Former hostages also weighed in on the situation. Emily Damari shared her response on her Instagram account. “So many things are running in my head, and I don't know how to get it out, but mainly my heart is broken, crushed, and disappointed,” she posted, voicing her concern for those still in captivity. “Gali [Berman], Ziv [Berman], and the rest of the hostages, we will continue to fight for you non-stop and do everything so that you will come back to us.”

On social media, several relatives of hostages expressed their anguish through symbolic posts. Lishi Miron-Lavi, wife of abductee Omri Miron, shared a broken heart emoji on X in a chain reaction that included freed hostage Noa Argamani, whose partner Avinan Or remains in Hamas captivity after 529 days, N12 noted.

Television journalist Yuval Sade wrote on X, "The misconception is here to stay; that's what happens when you're unwilling to investigate and carry out introspection. No aerial bombing campaign can defeat a terror organisation deeply rooted within the population, whether in Gaza or Yemen. Gaza has already endured more bombings than any other city in modern history; vast areas there have become uninhabitable, and the organisation’s entire leadership has been eliminated."

He added, "But has this led to the destruction of Hamas? No—because without political action, military actions are pointless. So hundreds or thousands more militants will be killed, civilians will die, buildings will be destroyed, and perhaps even our hostages will perish—but for what purpose? How can you rain hell upon hell? A multi-divisional ground operation will also lead to disastrous results if there isn't a genuine plan at the end of the road, further crippling an Israeli economy unprepared for such an event in terms of reserve mobilisation and government spending. There's a sense that the Israeli government is gambling with fire and human lives, and for all the wrong reasons."

While there have been stark contrasts between the reactions to the resumption of fighting from different sectors of Israeli society so far, it remains to be seen what the Israeli military's plan will be for the foreseeable future.

Sources told The Jerusalem Post that Prime Minister Netanyahu was holding a situation assessment discussion with senior security officials at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on the morning of March 18, which backed up a leaked Arabic language document shared on both Israel and Palestinian social media of a potential significant ground incursion from every angle of the strip.