Tuesday, March 18

Israel has broken their ceasefire with Gaza, which ended on March 1, launching barrages of airstrikes across the strip after weeks of failed negotiations.

Israel's initial ceasefire with Hamas lasted from mid-January to March 1, and it was decided that they would continue talks for the following phase of their ceasefire agreement during the first phase. However, those talks were delayed, and they only got off the ground around the time which the ceasefire ended.

Israel continuously instructed Hamas to return more hostages, but Hamas did not want to do so unless they were given a guarantee that they could maintain control over Gaza even after the war comes to an end. Israel, meanwhile, has been calling for Hamas to leave the strip, and they have maintained their stance that any deal that allows Hamas to stay in power will not be accepted by their side.

Then, yesterday, Israel bombarded some of Gaza's largest cities -- Gaza City, Deir-al-Balah, and Khan Younis -- with airstrikes. The strikes have killed at least 413 people and destroyed even more structures, though Israel claims that they targeted Hamas operations facilities.

The fact that there were serious airstrikes but no ground invasion confirms that it is part of an Israeli attempt to force Hamas to agree to a deal, as a ground invasion would mean a return to full-scale war. Israel has tried this multiple times in the last few weeks-- they launched smaller strikes last week which killed around 150 people, and they have also cut off the supply of aid to Gaza.

Hamas has not retaliated, though, but it is unclear whether they have avoided retaliation out of fear of additional attacks or whether they simply do not have the supplies to do so. They have strongly condemned Israel's decision to disrupt the peace, though, and they claim Israel is solely responsible for violating their agreement. The United Nations and other countries, such as Egypt and Australia, have also condemned the airstrikes and have called for peace to be maintained in the region.

Israel has now issued evacuation orders for several areas near the border, which hints at the possibility of a ground invasion in the near future, but they have not confirmed anything.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Horses can't vomit. Horses have much stronger esophagus muscles than most species, their esophagus connects with their stomachs at a much lower angle than in other animals, and their stomachs aren’t surrounded by abdominal muscles (which contract to make vomiting possible). However, we don't know why their stomachs need to be vomit-proof, and why no other animal has the same anatomy.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate. (Elbert Hubbard)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Limerick (noun, LIM-uh-rik) - A limerick is a humorous rhyming poem of five lines.

In a Sentence: My limerick received a prize for the funniest poem at the open mic night.