Gaza War – May 2025 Offensive

Date: Mid-May 2025 (peaking around May 18–21, 2025) Amid the ongoing Gaza War, Israeli forces launched a major offensive in May, conducting intense airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. In one 24-hour period, over 100 Palestinians were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes, including many civilians, as Israel targeted militant infrastructure. Concurrently, Israel’s government signaled plans to indefinitely control large parts of Gaza, moving the population southward, as a condition for ending the war.

This escalation represented one of the deadliest phases of the Gaza conflict since it began in 2023, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis. The high casualty toll and Israel’s declaration to retain control of much of Gaza indicated a protracted conflict with potential for regional spillover. It also intensified international debates over human rights and post-war governance in Gaza, shaping the prospects for any future peace or two-state solution.