Thursday, March 27, 2025 - Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, March 26, threatened to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas does not release hostages.
This comes
as Hamas warned that the hostages would return as dead bodies if Israel does
not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.
A week
since the Israeli military resumed operations following a truce agreed in
January, Israel said two projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip, with one
intercepted and the other landing near the border, and with no immediate
reports of any casualties or damage.
The rocket
fire was said to have come a day after hundreds of Palestinians staged a rare
protest against Hamas, chanting slogans against the Islamist movement and
calling for an end to the war.
After the
fragile ceasefire ended, Israel last week resumed intense bombardment and
ground operations across Gaza, while militants returned to launching rocket
attacks.
According
to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 830 people have been killed in the
territory since Israel resumed its strikes on March 18.
No deaths
have been reported on the Israeli side.
Israeli
officials said the resumption of operations was meant to pressure Hamas into
releasing the remaining hostages, after a stalemate in talks with mediators on
extending the truce, which saw 33 Israeli captives freed in exchange for
Palestinian prisoners.
Israel
wanted an extension of the truce’s initial phase, while Hamas demanded talks on
a second stage that was meant to lead to a permanent ceasefire
Netanyahu
told parliament that the more Hamas persists in its refusal to release its
hostages, the stronger the pressure we will exert.
“This
includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not
elaborate here. The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory
it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” he said.
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