In the face of a now-broken truce, Hamas refuses to comply with Israel’s demands to hand over the remaining hostages. In the wake of that defiance, Israel has resumed operations and appears poised to potentially permanently take territory within Gaza.
Now, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Kat, has ordered the military to “seize additional areas in Gaza… The more Hamas continues its refusal, the more territory it will lose to Israel.”
Israel defence minister threatens to ‘seize additional territories’ in Gaza– www.bbc.com
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Israel’s defence minister has ordered the military to “seize additional areas in Gaza” if Hamas does not free all remaining hostages.
Israel Katz said on Friday that the military would continue its ground operation in Gaza “with increasing intensity” until all of the hostages “both living and dead” were returned.
It is yet another escalation in the conflict, which reignited this week as Israel broke a ceasefire, in place since January, to resume its bombing campaign. Hundreds of people have been killed in the ensuing violence.
“The more Hamas continues its refusal, the more territory it will lose to Israel,” Katz said.
In his statement on Friday, Katz said that Israel still agreed to a proposal, which was brought by US envoy Steve Witkoff, “to release all the kidnapped, both living and dead, in advance and in two stages with a ceasefire in between”.
“We will intensify the fighting with strikes from the air, sea and land and by expanding the ground manoeuvre until the hostages are released and Hamas is defeated,” Katz wrote.
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