Israel has ordered the troops to be taken away parts of the Gaza Strip forever to “annext to Israel,” unless Hamas handed over the remaining hostages, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday.
The statement came after Israel violated a two-month ceasefire with Hamas this week, killing nearly 600 people due to air strikes and resuming ground operations in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government vowed to intensify their operations until the extremist groups that nominally ruled Gaza before this round of conflict returned the 59 dead and living hostages that continued to hold prisoners.
“I have directed the IDF to seize additional areas of Gaza while evacuating the population and expand the security zones around Gaza to protect the Israeli community and IDF soldiers,” Katz said in a statement. “The more Hamas continues by refusing to release hostages, the more territory it will lose and annex it will be annexed by Israel.”
Katz also threatened the use of “the use of all military and civilian pressure tools, including evacuation of Gaza’s population south, and the implementation of a voluntary relocation programme for Gaza residents,” explaining a new, vast stage of Israeli military attacks.
He added that this will be done “through the permanent Israeli rule of the territory.”
Hamas said Friday that he was “still at the heart of the negotiations” and was involved with mediators such as “discussing Witkov’s proposals and various ideas on the table.”
In a statement, the group said its purpose was to “to ensure the release of prisoners, end the war, and achieve prisoner exchange contracts that would achieve withdrawal.”
Since signing the ceasefire in January, Netanyahu has faced the pressure of twins in hostage families, urging him to promote their return, and his solid coalition members who are threatening to collapse his government unless he resumes the war. On Tuesday, his troops chose the latter and launched a strike against Gaza, which accused him and the White House of refusing to release Hamas hostages more.
However, Netanyahu’s accusations do not reflect the structure of the transaction.
In the first phase of the armistice, Israel traded 1,800 Palestinian prisoners and detainees for the return of 25 living hostages and about 250 dead bodies captured during the terrorist attacks led on October 7, 2023.
Around 49,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched an attack on the enclave, local health officials say.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended on March 1st and was intended to precede the second phase in 16 days, including the exchange of all remaining hostages and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.
Netanyahu agreed to a proposal submitted by White House envoy Stephen Witkoff to extend the ceasefire for 50 days to discuss Phase 2, which never happened. This was quickly rejected by Hamas, but Katz said Friday that Israel is still defending it.
The White House has made it clear that it is making Israel’s decision, but has yet to respond to NBC News’ requests for comments on Katz’s remarks on Friday.
“The president has made it very clear to Hamas that if they don’t release all of the hostages, there’s all hell to pay,” White House spokesman Caroline Leavitt said Thursday.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
