The Israeli Defense Minister has ordered troops to further penetrate the Gaza Strip and vowed to control more land until Hamas releases the remaining hostages it is holding. After regaining control of parts of the strategic Netzarim Corridor separating northern and southern Gaza, the Israeli army advanced towards the northern town of Beit Lahia and the southern border city of Rafah on Thursday local time.
Read Also...:
Trump says he is ending Secret Service protection for Biden's adult children, which had been extended until July
03-22, 2025
Eyeing China threat, Trump announces Boeing wins contract for secretive future fighter jet
03-22, 2025
Detectives recover four diamond earrings two weeks after suspect swallowed them during arrest
03-22, 2025
New Zealand parliament shows its spooky side in a tour of mysterious deaths and cat infestations
03-22, 2025The military stated that it has reinstated the blockade on the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City. This comes after Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza this week, breaking the fragile ceasefire agreement. The agreement had brought relative calm since late January and facilitated the release of over twenty hostages.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant commented on Friday that military operations would "continue with increasing intensity until Hamas releases the hostages." He stated: "The more Hamas refuses to release the abductees, the more territory it will lose to Israel." Reportedly, nearly 600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire agreement collapsed on Tuesday.
Israel has cut off the supply of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to approximately 2 million Palestinians in Gaza and stated that it will escalate military operations until Hamas releases the 59 hostages it is holding (of whom 24 are believed to be alive) and relinquishes control of the territory.
The ceasefire agreement reached in mid-January was a three-stage plan aimed at achieving a long-term cessation of hostilities, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the return of all hostages seized by Hamas in its raid on Israel. In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 living hostages and the remains of 8 deceased hostages in exchange for the release of nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces also retreated to a buffer zone within Gaza, and hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to northern Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement was supposed to remain in effect while negotiations continued on the second phase, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to engage in substantive negotiations. Instead, he sought to force Hamas to accept a new ceasefire plan proposed by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. This plan called for Hamas to release half of its remaining hostages (the armed group's main bargaining chip) in exchange for an extension of the ceasefire agreement and a commitment to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, which was a key component of the first phase.
Hamas has stated that it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, as required by the original ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. The armed group has indicated that it is willing to transfer power to a Western-backed Palestinian Authority or a committee of politically independent individuals, but it will not lay down its arms until Israel ends its decades-long occupation of land needed for a future Palestinian state.
The U.S. President Donald Trump administration reaffirmed its support for Israel this week, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating: "The President has made it clear to Hamas that if they do not release all the hostages, there will be a heavy price to pay."
