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17-04-2025
CAIRO/ GAZA: Hamas is said to have rejected an Israeli proposal for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza which called for the armed group to give up its weapons.
A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks said the plan gave no commitment to end the war or for an Israeli troop pull-out key Hamas demands in exchange for releasing half of the living hostages which it holds.
It comes as Israel continues its military offensive in Gaza.
A security guard was killed and nine other people were injured in an air strike on a field hospital in Khan Younis, the hospital said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck the head of a Hamas cell.
A UN agency meanwhile warned that “the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities”.
It is six weeks since Israel allowed any supplies to enter through crossings into the Palestinian territory by far the longest such stoppage to date.
UN agencies strongly refute Israel’s claim that there is enough food in Gaza to last for a long time and suggest the blockade could breach international humanitarian law.
Israel’s prime minister said the block on supplies was aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages and to extend the ceasefire which expired on 1 March.
At the same time, the UN’s humanitarian affairs office stated; “Partners on the ground report a surge in attacks causing mass civilian casualties and the destruction of some of the remaining infrastructure that’s needed to keep people alive.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s defence minister has announced its military will soon “vigorously” expand its offensive throughout most of Gaza.
Israel Katz also said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had completed the takeover of a “security zone” in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, separating the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.
Israel’s military also issued evacuation orders for Khan Younis and its surrounding areas, saying it was preparing to carry out strikes in response to the launch of projectiles from Gaza, which Hamas has claimed responsibility for.
Israel resumed its offensive against Hamas on 18 March following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire.
Since then, it has seized large areas of Gaza, displacing hundreds of thousands of Gazans once more.
The military has already seized land running along the entirety of the Palestinian territory’s borders, which it has characterized as a buffer zone to prevent attacks.
Israeli officials have said the ongoing offensive aims to pressure Hamas into freeing the 59 remaining hostages being held in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
On Saturday, Katz said the IDF had completed the takeover of the “Morag axis”, a reference to a former Jewish settlement located between Rafah and Khan Younis.
He said this “makes the entire area between the Philadelphia axis and Morag part of the Israeli security zone”.
The takeover of the corridor effectively cuts the southern city of Rafah off from Khan Younis. Rafah makes up almost one fifth of Gaza.
Katz also warned that “IDF activity will soon expand vigorously to additional locations throughout most of Gaza” and people in these areas “will have to evacuate the fighting zones”.
“This is the last moment to remove Hamas and release the hostages, and bring about an end to the war,” he said.
He added that areas of northern Gaza, including the city of Beit Hanoun and in the Netzarim Corridor which cuts through central Gaza were also being evacuated so that a “security zone” could be expanded there too. (Int’l News Desk)
