Israel has threatened to annex parts of the Gaza Strip if terrorist group Hamas refuses to release the rest of the hostages it kidnapped on October 7, 2023.
This development comes just after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) resumed launching airstrikes in Gaza due to Hamas’ refusal to continue with negotiations to release hostages. NBC News reported on the escalation on Friday.
Israel ordered its troops to permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip — to be “annexed to Israel” — unless Hamas hands over the remaining hostages, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday.
The statement came after Israel this week broke the two-month ceasefire with Hamas, with the resumption of airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza killing nearly 600 people.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to intensify those operations until the militant group, which nominally controlled Gaza before this round of conflict, returns the 59 dead and living hostages who it continues to hold captive.
“I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza, while evacuating the population, and to expand the security zones around Gaza for the protection of Israeli communities and IDF soldiers,” Katz said in a statement. “The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel.”
Israel in a threat to Gaza:
— Cheryl E 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🎗️ (@CherylWroteIt) March 18, 2025
"If we learn that the Palestinians begin to hurt hostages in any way, Israel will begin annexing Gazan land."
Now we’re talking 🔥🔥🔥
We should be annexing all of it regardless.
Katz also threatened to evacuate Gaza’s population and push them southward “through permanent Israeli control of the territory.”
Hamas claims it is still willing to negotiate and that its goal is “achieving a prisoner exchange deal that secures the release of prisoners, ends the war, and achieves withdrawal.”
The two parties have done several prisoner-for-hostage exchanges. However, the recent swap did not go through as planned, with Hamas appearing to back away from fulfilling its end of the bargain.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended March 1 and was meant to precede a second phase 16 days later involving the exchange of all remaining hostages and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.
That never happened, with Netanyahu agreeing to a proposal tabled by White House envoy Steven Witkoff to extend the ceasefire by 50 days in order to discuss phase two. This was immediately rejected by Hamas, but Katz said Friday that Israel was still standing by it.
Hamas’ refusal to continue engaging in the agreement likely led to Israel’s surprise attack earlier this week. The airstrikes reportedly killed at least 44 people in the region, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Netanyahu cited the lack of progress on Hamas’ part when it comes to releasing hostages.
Currently, the ball is in Hamas' court. At this point, they know they cannot win this war and their best hope for survival would be to hand over the hostages and beg for peace. It's not a sure thing, of course. Netanyahu has said repeatedly that his objective is to completely annihilate the organization. It is highly likely that this conflict ends with Israel or the United States controlling the Gaza Strip.
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