By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2025-03-31 21:50:08 | Updated at 2025-04-02 08:50:04
1 day ago
The Israeli military is set to expand its ground operations to occupy 25% of Gaza in the coming weeks to apply “maximum pressure” on Hamas to release the remaining hostages, officials said.
The occupation, which is set to be completed within two to three weeks, aims to exert military pressure across the Gaza Strip to force Hamas to agree to a new cease-fire deal that would free some of the 24 living hostages still in captivity, Axios reported.
Some Israeli officials, however, said the occupations could be the first steps to push Palestinians out of Gaza, a controversial move first pitched by President Donald Trump and touted by embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel resumed its ground operations in Gaza on March 19 following a breakdown in the cease-fire negotiations, with the Jewish state rejecting Hamas’ proposal to move on to the second phase of the deal that would see the living hostages freed in exchange for a complete military withdrawal.
The Israel Defense Forces warned that if no new deal is reached, the ground operations could expand to lead Israel to occupy most of Gaza, where more than 2 million Palestinian refugees live.
While new evacuation orders had recently been concentrated in northern Gaza, the IDF issued a new order targeting Rafah, which was once the populous city in the Strip after the refugees fled south.
“The IDF is returning to intense operations to dismantle the capabilities of the terrorist organizations in these areas,” Colonel Avichay Adraee wrote on X.
While the IDF claimed that its plan was to broaden the buffer zones it currently controls along the border, Israeli officials fear the plan could ultimately see a more permanent occupation of Gaza.
Such an occupation could be seen as the stepping stones for a “voluntary departure plan” that would see Palestinians relocated indefinitely from Gaza in order for the military to eliminate Hamas, officials told Axios.
Other Israeli officials, however, fear such a plan would leave the Jewish state stuck with taking care of 2 million refugees currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis.
The planned occupation comes over the latest breakdown in the cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas over the weekend.
Qatar and Egyptian mediators said Hamas agreed to an offer resembling the one made by Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff weeks ago, calling for the release of five hostages in exchange for another temporary cease-fire.
Israel, however, rejected the offer and is now demanding the release of 11 living hostages, as well as the bodies of 16 dead captives.
There are currently 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, only 24 of whom are believed to still be alive, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander.
