More Than 400 Killed in Gaza as Egypt Condemns Israeli Airstrikes

In the early morning of March 18th, over 400 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Ambassador Tamim Khallaf, Spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, released an official statement denouncing the attacks, warning of its “severe humanitarian consequences.” The statement further rejected the continuation of military operations that would only lead to more “civilian casualties and suffering."

The attacks, which were described by Turkiye as a new phase of Israel’s "genocide policy," violate the ceasefire agreement established in January 2025. Although Israel has been striking Gaza continuously and blocking aid into the territory in spite of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement, this latest airstrike represents the largest attack by Israel since the beginning of the ceasefire.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that “there is no military solution to the crisis.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed these strikes were aimed at pressuring Hamas to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. This would involve releasing more Israeli hostages without necessarily moving to the second phase of the ceasefire and withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza, a scenario that Hamas has rejected. 

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly condemned Israeli military actions in Gaza. Earlier, it denounced Israeli strikes on hospitals as “ethnic cleansing” that rendered parts of Gaza “uninhabitable.”

The ministry urged the international community to intervene immediately and allow mediators to work toward a ceasefire, emphasising that a political resolution is the only viable path to restoring stability in the region