Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Gaza City could be destroyed if Hamas does not accept Israel's conditions for ending the war in a post on X on Friday. It comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will give final approval for the occupation of Gaza City while also starting negotiations with Hamas, aimed at returning the hostages and ending the nearly two-year war, but only "on terms acceptable to Israel." Earlier this week, Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire proposal drawn up by mediators from Egypt and Qatar. Egypt and Hamas officials said the proposal is almost identical to the one Israel accepted before talks stalled last month. The proposal would include the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a withdrawal of Israeli forces and negotiations over a more permanent ceasefire. However, speaking at a meeting at the Gaza military division in southern Israel, Netanyahu told military officials on Thursday that Israel would only end the war on its own terms. In the meantime, Israel has not indicated it intends to slow down the expansion of its offensive. The Israeli military started calling medical officials and international organisations in the north of strip, ordering them to evacuate to the south. The military also mobilised 60,000 additional reservists and extended the service of 20,000 currently serving. Israeli troops are already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabaliya neighbourhoods of Gaza City to prepare the groundwork for the expanded operation. The military has previously said they will be stationed where the IDF has not yet operated and where it believes Hamas is still active. On Wednesday, Israel also gave approval to an illegal settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, a significant blow to the prospects of Palestinian statehood. Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to US pressure during previous administrations. The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal under international law. Last year, the International Court of Justice declared in a landmark ruling that Israel should end settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its occupation of those areas as soon as possible. On Thursday, protesters gathered in Tel Aviv demanding the return of the hostages, holding signs that read "The people will bring back the hostages" and "How much blood will be spilled?" Demonstrators expressed concern over Netanyahu's plan to expand the offensive, as they believe it would further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages. Of the 50 still being held in Gaza, Israel believes about 20 are still alive. Hundreds also gathered in Gaza for a rare protest against the war and Israel's plan for mass relocation of Palestinians to other countries. "We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months...it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction," said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City. Plans for the expanded military offensive sparked widespread international outrage, with many of Israel's closest allies, with the exception of the United States, calling for an end to the war. Human rights groups have repeatedly warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Strip, where most residents have been displaced, vast neighbourhoods lie in ruins and where famine is at a tipping point. On Thursday, at least 36 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip, including 14 who were seeking humanitarian aid, local hospitals reported. Israeli airstrikes also destroyed a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, where residents had been told by the Israeli military to flee. No casualties were reported, but the strike destroyed around 100 tents sheltering families already uprooted by fighting elsewhere. The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,192 Palestinians, the Gaza Health Ministry said, whose figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. – Euronews
