Gaza, MINA – Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday ordered the army to expand its occupation of areas in the Gaza Strip after expelling Palestinian residents, as Israel resumed its military offensive against the Palestinian enclave earlier this week, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Katz ordered the further occupation of Palestinian areas in Gaza, citing the need to protect Israeli soldiers and communities located near Gaza.
Katz stated, “The more Hamas insists on refusing to release the hostages, the more land it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel.”
He added that the Israeli military operation in Gaza “will escalate until all hostages held by Hamas are freed.”
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For the past 16 months, Hamas has been engaged in negotiations with Israel, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. However, these talks have failed to lead to the release of all Israeli hostages or the end of the ongoing conflict, mainly due to Israel’s repeated violations of agreements and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s refusal to honor previous commitments. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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