TEL AVIV: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday threatened to annex parts of the Gaza Strip unless Palestinian group Hamas release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the war-torn territory.
“I ordered (the army) to seize more territory in Gaza… The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” he said in a statement.
Israel’s renewed air and ground offensive in Gaza has broken the relative calm that had held since the January 19 ceasefire, drawing widespread condemnation.
Israel resumed its heavy bombing of Gaza on Tuesday, citing a deadlock in indirect negotiations over the next steps in the truce after its first stage expired earlier this month.
Gaza’s civil health ministry reported on Thursday that 504 people have been killed since the bombardment resumed, with more than 190 of the casualties being minors. The death toll is among the highest since the war began more than 17 months ago.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has vowed to step up the assault, using civilian as well as military “pressure points” to defeat Hamas.
“We will intensify the fight with aerial, naval and ground shelling as well as by expanding the ground operation until hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated, using all military and civilian pressure points,” he said.
He added these included implementing President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to redevelop Gaza as a Mediterranean resort after the relocation of its Palestinian inhabitants to other Arab countries.
On Thursday, the Israeli military said troops had started “conducting ground activity” in the Shabura area of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city near the Egyptian border.
Hamas discussing US envoy’s proposal on Gaza
Hamas stated on Friday that it is still in discussions regarding US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal, along with other potential solutions, with the goal of securing a deal to release prisoners, end the war in Gaza, and achieve the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave.
Witkoff introduced a “bridge” plan last week, aimed at extending the ceasefire in Gaza into April, beyond Ramadan and Passover, to allow time for negotiations toward a permanent end to hostilities.
More than 200 children killed since Tuesday in Gaza
At least 200 children have been killed in Gaza since Israel resumed its war on the Palestinian enclave this week, Al Jazeera reported, citing Unicef spokesperson in Gaza Rosalia Paulin.
ALSO READ: Hamas Says Ceasefire Talks Continue as Israeli Strikes Kill Over 70 in Gaza
Medical authorities said more than 590 Palestinians have been killed so far and the death toll continues to rise as Israeli air attacks and ground assaults intensify.
UN Security Council meets on Israel’s West Bank strikes
The UN Security Council will convene for the second consecutive day to discuss the situation in Palestine, this time focusing on Israel’s ongoing assault on the occupied West Bank.
Thursday’s meeting also addressed the dire conditions in Gaza. Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, criticised Israeli leaders for failing to progress to phase two of the ceasefire agreement, which calls for the release of all captives and a permanent end to the fighting.
He stated that it is difficult to discuss the future when Israel’s military and political leaders seem to have chosen war over peace.
Britain’s deputy ambassador, James Kariuki, condemned Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s “warning of the total destruction of Gaza.”
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, Gaza’s health ministry reports that more than 49,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, with large parts of the enclave reduced to rubble.
