Israel Declares 30% of Gaza Strip as Neutral Zone Amid Ongoing Conflict

The Israeli military announced on April 16, 2025, that it has designated 30% of the Gaza Strip as a neutral zone while continuing its relentless attacks. Israel also blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, where approximately 2.4 million Palestinians remain under siege since the war began following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023. Local Gaza police reported today that 11 Palestinian civilians, including women and children, were killed in new Israeli airstrikes. After two months of ceasefire, the Israeli army resumed airstrikes on March 18, following its ground operation in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Netanyahu believes increased military pressure will force Hamas to release hostages captured during their October 7th attack. Nearly 30% of Gaza’s land is now classified as a security perimeter, according to an official statement from the Israeli military, which aims to extend control over large areas of the Palestinian enclave bordering southern Israel. The military also claimed to have targeted around 1,200 ‘terrorist targets’ and conducted over 100 ‘targeted assassinations’ since March 18. The October 7th attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to French Agency reports based on official data. Of the 251 people abducted that day, 58 remain in Gaza, with 34 confirmed dead by Israeli forces. According to the Hamas Health Ministry, at least 1,652 Palestinians have been killed since March 18, bringing the total death toll in Gaza to 51,025 since the Israeli counter-offensive began 18 months ago. Displaced Palestinian Soheir questions the suffering of innocent children amid the devastation. Approximately 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza since March 18, according to the UN, with almost all residents repeatedly displaced since the war’s onset. The small enclave suffers severe shortages of food, water, fuel, and other essentials, as reported by the UN and humanitarian organizations.