Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to intensify military pressure on Hamas in Gaza while continuing efforts to secure the release of hostages and advance US President Donald Trump’s “voluntary emigration” plan, Reuters reported. Netanyahu’s comments came after Hamas announced it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar, although it ruled out laying down its arms, as Israel has demanded.
In a video statement, Netanyahu rejected claims that Israel was not negotiating, reportedly saying, “We are conducting it under fire, and therefore it is also effective.” He pointed to “cracks” in Hamas’s resolve, signalling that the pressure from Israel’s military operations was starting to take its toll.
On Saturday, Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a proposal that would include the release of five Israeli hostages each week. However, the group emphasised that it would not surrender its weapons, a key condition Israel has insisted upon in any ceasefire deal.
The violence in Gaza has escalated since Israel resumed its bombardment of the enclave on March 18, following a two-month truce. On Sunday, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, health authorities in Gaza reported that at least 20 people, including several children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Among the casualties was a family of nine, killed in a single tent in the southern city of Khan Yunis, the report said.
Since the resumption of hostilities, hundreds of Palestinians have died, and tens of thousands have been displaced, particularly in northern Gaza. Many of these displaced people had returned to their homes after the ceasefire in January but were forced to flee once again as Israel’s military campaign escalated.
In his statement, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would not halt its military actions until Hamas’s military and government infrastructures were completely destroyed. He also stressed that Israel’s goal was to secure long-term stability in Gaza, enabling the implementation of Trump’s “voluntary emigration” plan. The plan, which originally proposed relocating Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to other countries like Egypt and Jordan, has received little international support, and Israel now says any departures would be voluntary.
The conflict began after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israeli communities near Gaza on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel’s military campaign caused widespread devastation in Gaza, with over 50,000 Palestinian casualties, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has faced growing domestic opposition, with protests erupting in Israel as military operations continue. Demonstrators, including families of the remaining hostages, have expressed frustration with government policies and what they see as threats to Israeli democracy.
On Sunday, Netanyahu dismissed accusations of undermining democracy as “empty claims and slogans,” insisting that military pressure was the only effective means of returning the hostages.
