Israel threatens to control Gaza until hostages are released

Israel on Friday, March 21, 2025, 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.

It came 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 attacks.

They will continue until the militant group,  returns the 59 dead and living hostages who it continues to hold captive.

The militant group was reportedly controlled by Gaza.

“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.”

Katz also threatened the use of “all military and civilian pressure tools.

The tools will include the evacuation of Gaza’s population southward.

It will also include the implementation of voluntary relocation plans for Gaza residents.

Katz revealed these while describing the new more expansive phase of Israel’s military offensive in the enclave.

He added that this would be done “through permanent Israeli control of the territory.”

Hamas said on Friday that it “remains at the heart of the negotiations.”

It also said it was engaging with mediators including “discussing the Witkoff proposal and the various ideas on the table.”

The group said in a statement that its aim is “achieving a prisoner exchange deal.

These deal is expected to secure the release of prisoners, ends the war, and achieve withdrawal.”

Since signing the ceasefire in January, Netanyahu has faced the twin pressures of:

• hostage families urging him to facilitate their return, and,
• his hard-right coalition members threatening to collapse his government unless he restarts the war.

On Tuesday, his military opted for the latter, launching strikes into Gaza.

However, hee and the White House blamed it on Hamas’ refusal to release more hostages.

But Netanyahu’s accusations do not reflect the structure of the deal.

In the first phase of the truce, Israel exchanged 1,800 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

This gesture was for the return of 25 living hostages and the bodies of eight more of roughly 250 hostages.

The roughly 250 hostages were taken captive during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.

In the attacks some 1,200 people were killed, according to Israel.

Media reports have it that nearly 49,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive in the enclave.

The report was according to local health officials.

Figures from the health officials have in the past been declared reputable by the World Health Organization.

The first phase of the ceasefire ended March 1 and was meant to precede a second phase 16 days later.

The ceasefire was to involve the exchange of all remaining hostages.

It was to also involve the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.

That never happened, with Netanyahu agreeing to a proposal tabled by White House envoy Steven Witkoff.

The proposal was 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.

The White House has made it clear it stands with Israel’s decision.

But it has yet to respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Katz’s remarks Friday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday,

“The president made it very clear to Hamas that if they did not release all of the hostages there would be all hell to pay,”

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