Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would annex parts of the unless Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Palestinian enclave. The statement came amid intensifying Israeli military strikes in Gaza that started on Tuesday.
“I ordered the IDF to seize more territory in Gaza,” Katz said in a statement. “The more Hamas sticks to its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it would lose, territory which would be annexed to Israel.”
The Israeli military continued its attacks on Gaza on Friday, having effectively effectively
Health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday that 504 people had been killed since the war resumed.
During terror attacks on October 7, 2023, and other militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 more hostage — 59 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. Israeli authorities believe 24 of them are still alive.
‘Catastrophic’ conditions in Gaza
Dr. Mohammed Mustafa, an Australian doctor working in Gaza, told DW that medical conditions in the enclave are “catastrophic” as the fighting resumed.
“We have little to no medicine. We have little to no antibiotics left,” he said. “We are really lacking in resources, medical equipment and even basic things like blood pressure cuffs, monitoring people’s oxygen levels and even oxygen cylinders.”
Mustafa added that the current shortage in fuel in Gaza means medical teams are struggling with transporting patients from one hospital to another, where they could be looked after, with some patients succumbing to their wounds as a result.
Hamas ‘reviewing’ US ceasefire offer
Palestinian militant group Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the European Union and others, said it was reviewing an offer made by the US to restore the ceasefire with Israel.
The most recent offer by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, labeled a “bridge” plan, aims to extend the ceasefire into April. That would take it beyond the holidays of Ramadan and Passover and allow more time to negotiate a permanent ceasefire between the two sides.
According to a Reuters news agency report, citing a Palestinian official, Egypt also made a bridging proposal, with Hamas not yet responding to it.
Hamas shot two rockets that were shot down by the Israeli army toward the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Friday.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
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