The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says they are attacking terror targets in Gaza belonging to the Hamas.
“We are concerned at the situation in Gaza. It is important that all hostages are released,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement issued on Wednesday (March 19, 2025).

At the same time, the MEA urged that humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza should continue. “We also call for supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza to be sustained,” the statement added.

The MEA statement came a day after the Israeli military said it was carrying out extensive strikes in the Gaza Strip. 

Media reports quoted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as saying that they were attacking terror targets belonging to Hamas.

According to the IDF, the targets struck over the past few hours include terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure used by these terror organizations to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

The Israeli government has maintained that this action was taken due to Hamas's continuous refusal to free hostages and its rejection of proposals from US and other mediators.

This has been described as the largest wave of airstrikes in Gaza since the beginning of the ceasefire on January 19, 2025.

India had welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas when it was announced on January 15, 2025.

Israel launched an all-out assault in Gaza after Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli locations on October 7, 2023, firing at least 2,500 rockets into the country.

Armed groups broke through the fencing around the Gaza Strip and attacked Israeli settlements, killing several hundred people including over 200 attending a music concert. The militants also took about 200 people, including women and children, hostage.