Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday that Israel will intensify its pressure on Hamas if the group refuses to release the hostages held in Gaza.
“The longer Hamas persists in refusing to release our hostages, the greater the pressure we will apply,” Netanyahu stated in Parliament.
The Israeli leader also emphasized that this strategy will include the capture of territories, along with other measures he did not disclose. “I am telling this to my colleagues in the Knesset and to Hamas as well,” he added.
Escalating Tensions and Hamas’ Threats
Earlier, Hamas warned that the hostages could die if Israel attempted to rescue them by force or continued its bombings in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the group claimed it was “doing everything possible to keep the captives alive,” but that Israel’s “arbitrary bombings” were putting their lives at risk. “Every time the occupation tries to recover its captives by force, it only ends up bringing them back in coffins,” it added.
Last week, Israel resumed aerial bombings and ground operations in Gaza, ending a period of relative calm following the ceasefire agreement reached in January.
The current conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that left 1,218 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP report based on official data.
Protests in Gaza Against Hamas
Amid escalating violence, hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets in northern Gaza on Tuesday to demand Hamas’ expulsion from the enclave and an end to the war with Israel. After more than a year of fighting that has left the region in ruins, demonstrators voiced their opposition to the Islamist group.
Waving white flags, residents of Beit Haliya chanted slogans such as “Out, out, out, Hamas must go,” “Hamas is a terrorist,” and “Stop the war.”
“The people want freedom, an end to hostilities in Gaza, peace, and the release of prisoners so we can continue living,” said one protester. Another added firmly, “We want to live! We refuse to be the ones who die.”
One participant directly criticized Hamas: “They demand that we resist, but how can we when we are dying and bleeding? Hamas must stop what is happening in Gaza… We are sending a message to the whole world: we reject their rule.”
The demonstrators aimed to distance themselves from Hamas and show the international community that “we are a people of peace” and that their priority is “a secure peace for this city,” rather than “living under steel and fire.”
“We will be the ones to decide who governs this city,” another protester insisted. “We say yes to peace, no to a tyrannical government that threatens our future.”
Criticism of International Media
Among the demonstrators’ main complaints was also the role of the media, particularly Al Jazeera, which they accused of serving Hamas’ interests and hiding the reality of what is happening in Gaza to protect the group.
