Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday, March 26, that Israel may seize parts of Gaza if Hamas does not release hostages.
This comes after Hamas threatened that the hostages would be returned as dead bodies if Israel does not halt its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.
A week after Israel resumed military operations following a truce in January, Israeli officials reported that two projectiles were launched from Gaza—one intercepted and the other landing near the border, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The rocket fire followed a rare protest by hundreds of Palestinians against Hamas, with demonstrators chanting against the group and calling for an end to the war.
After the ceasefire collapsed, Israel resumed intense bombardment and ground operations across Gaza, while militants retaliated with rocket attacks.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, 830 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its strikes on March 18. No casualties have been reported on the Israeli side.
Israeli officials stated that military operations were restarted to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages after negotiations with mediators stalled. The previous truce saw 33 Israeli captives freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel pushed to extend the truce’s initial phase, while Hamas insisted on negotiations for a second phase that would lead to a permanent ceasefire.
Netanyahu told parliament that the more Hamas delays the release of hostages, the stronger the pressure Israel will apply.
“This includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate on here. The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” he said.
