Podcst
Why has Israel gone back to war? by BBC World Service

Why has Israel gone back to war?

from The Global Story

by BBC World Service

Published: Wed Mar 19 2025

Show Notes

On Tuesday night, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that combat against Hamas in Gaza had resumed in full force.

This followed several hours of early morning air strikes targeting Gaza, which killed more than 400 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, making it one of the deadliest days of the conflict so far.

Jonny Dymond speaks to the BBC’s Jon Donnison, who witnessed the strikes from the Israeli border town of Sderot. He helps us to understand this latest escalation and why Israel has decided to return to war.

Producers: Richard Moran, Mhairi MacKenzie and Tom Kavanagh

Assistant editors: Richard Fenton-Smith and Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins