JERUSALEM: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened on Friday to annex parts of the Gaza Strip unless Hamas releases the remaining Israeli prisoners.

The warning came as Israel stepped up the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the relative calm that had reigned since a Jan 19 ceasefire.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 11 people on Friday — three in pre-dawn strikes and eight more during the daytime.

On Thursday, it had reported a death toll of 504 since the bombardment resumed, one of the highest since Oct 2023.

“I ordered (the army) to seize more territory in Gaza… The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages (prisoners), the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” Katz said in a statement.

Should Hamas not comply, Katz also threatened “to expand buffer zones around Gaza to protect Israeli civilian population and soldiers by implementing a permanent Israeli occupation of the area”.

The Israeli military urged residents of the Al Salatin, Al Karama and Al Awda areas of southern Gaza to evacuate their homes on Friday ahead of a threatened strike.

“For your safety, head south toward the known shelters immediately,” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X. Images from northern Gaza showed donkey carts piled high with belongings as residents fled their homes along rubble-strewn roads.

‘Bridge’ proposal

Hamas said on Friday it was reviewing a US proposal to restore the Gaza ceasefire as Israel intensified military operations to press the Palestinian group to free remaining Israeli prisoners.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s “bridge” plan, presented last week, aims to extend the ceasefire into April, beyond Ramazan and Passo­ver, to allow time for negotiations on a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Hamas said it was still debating Witkoff’s proposal and other ideas, with the goal of reaching a deal on prisoner releases, ending the conflict, and securing a complete Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian official said Egypt had also put forward a bridging proposal, but Hamas had yet to respond. The official declined to provide details on the plan, which he said was under consideration.

Two Egyptian security sources said Egypt had suggested setting a timeline for the release of the remaining prisoners alongside a deadline for a full Israeli pullout from Gaza with US guarantees.

The sources said the US had signalled initial approval while Hamas and Israel’s responses were expected soon.

Pressure points

Israel resumed intensive bombing of Gaza on Tuesday, citing deadlock in indirect negotiations on next steps in the truce after its first stage expired early this month.

Its resumption of large-scale military operations was coordinated with US President Donald Trump’s administration, but drew widespread condemnation.

Turkiye condemned an attack by Israel on a Turkish-built hospital in Gaza. “We strongly condemn the destruction by Israel of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital,” its foreign ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed “concern” over the fresh Israeli assault in a telephone call with the ruler of Qatar, one of the mediators of the January ceasefire.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed concern about the government’s actions in a video statement on Thursday, saying it was “unthinkable to resume fighting while still pursuing the sacred mission of bringing our hostages (prisoners) home”.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2025