Israel to 'seize more ground' and warns Hamas it will annex parts of Gaza

[groundloop]

Source: The Guardian

Israel’s defence minister said on Friday he has instructed the military to “seize more ground” in Gaza and threatened to annex part of the territory unless Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds.

Israel Katz’s warning came as the army stepped up the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January.

After retaking part of the strategic Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south, Israeli troops moved on Thursday towards the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah. The military said it had resumed enforcing a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City.

[snip]

He said the army “will intensify the fight with aerial, naval and ground shelling as well as by expanding the ground operation”, which he said would include implementing Donald Trump’s proposal to turn Gaza into a resort after the relocation of its Palestinian inhabitants to other Arab countries.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/21/israel-katz-warns-hamas-gaza-annex-war

[JohnSJ]

1. Too bad the Guardian headline didn't include "unless hamas releases the remaining hostages: Why won't they

release the remaining hostages? Better question is why didn't they release the hostages a year and a half ago? An even better question is why did hamas decide that October 7 was a good idea?

[maxsolomon]

2. That would make an untenable headline.

Too long.

“I ordered [the army] to seize more territory in Gaza,” Katz said in a statement. “The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel.”

Katz also threatened “to expand buffer zones around Gaza to protect Israeli civilian population areas and soldiers by implementing a permanent Israeli occupation of the area”, should Hamas not comply.

[JohnSJ]

3. Right. Just like Judith Miller who repeatedly reported on the "WMDs" in Iraq, conveniently leaving out authorities

that refuted that because as she put it when interviewed by jon stewart, "there wasn't enough room"