Israel to ‘seize more ground’ and warns Hamas it will annex parts of Gaza
Israel’s defence minister said on Friday he has instructed the military to “seize more ground” in Gaza and threatened to annex part of the territory unless Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds.
Israel Katz’s warning came as the army stepped up the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January.
After retaking part of the strategic Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south, Israeli troops moved on Thursday towards the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah. The military said it had resumed enforcing a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City.
“I ordered [the army] to seize more territory in Gaza,” Katz said. “The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel.”
Katz also threatened “to expand buffer zones around Gaza to protect Israeli civilian population areas and soldiers by implementing a permanent Israeli occupation of the area,” should Hamas not comply.
He said the army “will intensify the fight with aerial, naval and ground shelling as well as by expanding the ground operation”, which he said would include implementing Donald Trump’s proposal to turn Gaza into a resort after the relocation of its Palestinian inhabitants to other Arab countries.
To read the full report, see here:
That’s all from me, Tom Ambrose, and the Middle East crisis live blog for today. Thanks for following along.
Palestinian militant group Hamas is to blame for deaths in the Gaza Strip since hostilities resumed, the United States told the UN security council on Friday.
“Hamas bears full responsibility for the ongoing war in Gaza and for the resumption of hostilities. Every death would have been avoided had Hamas accepted the bridge proposal that the United States offered last Wednesday,” acting US ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the 15-member council.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he is “concerned” by Gaza escalation and is “ready to help cool tensions”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
More details soon …
The day so far
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), one of the largest providers of food aid in Gaza, warned on Friday it only had enough flour to distribute for the next six days. “We can stretch that by giving people less, but we are talking days, not weeks,” Unrwa official Sam Rose told reporters in Geneva in an online briefing from central Gaza, reports Reuters.
Israel’s supreme court on Friday froze the decision by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to sack Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, in order to review appeals filed against the dismissal. “It is hereby ordered that a provisional measure be taken to stay the effect of the decision subject to the appeals until another decision is made,” the court said in a document obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, has been dismissed, a week after Benjamin Netanyahu said he had lost confidence in him, and despite three days of protests against the move. “The government unanimously approved prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end ISA [Israeli Security Agency] director Ronen Bar’s term of office,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said.
Israel’s government is due to meet Sunday for a no confidence vote on the attorney general, a vocal critic of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking the start of a lengthy dismissal process, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). “We resolve to express our lack of confidence in the government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, due to her inappropriate behaviour and due to significant and prolonged differences between the government and the government’s legal adviser,” said a cabinet meeting agenda on the website of the prime minister’s office on Friday.
Less than half of Palestinian Red Crescent emergency vehicles are operating due to fuel shortages in Gaza, reports Reuters. Of 53 vehicles in total, 23 remain operational after aid supplies into Gaza, including fuel, were halted in early March, Tommaso Della Longa from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told reporters in Geneva.
The situation in Gaza is gravely concerning with massive reductions in distribution of aid supplies, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) said, reports Reuters. “This is the longest period since the start of conflict in October 2023 that no supplies whatsoever have entered Gaza. The progress we made as an aid system over the last six weeks of the ceasefire is being reversed,” Sam Rose from Unrwa told reporters, speaking from central Gaza.
Hamas said on Friday it is still discussing US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal and various other ideas, with the aim of reaching a deal to release prisoners, end the war in Gaza, and achieve a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory. Witkoff presented last week a “bridge” plan to extend the ceasefire in Gaza into April beyond Ramadan and Passover and allow time to negotiate a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Friday he ordered the military to “seize more ground” in Gaza and warned of partial annexation if Hamas does not release hostages held in the Palestinian territory, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). “I ordered (the army) to seize more territory in Gaza … The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” he said in a statement in which he threatened “permanent occupation” of “buffer zones” inside the Gaza Strip.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Friday that Tehran has no proxies in the region and that the groups it backs act independently, reports Reuters. US president Donald Trump said on Monday he would hold Iran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Yemeni Houthi group that it says Iran supports.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), one of the largest providers of food aid in Gaza, warned on Friday it only had enough flour to distribute for the next six days.
“We can stretch that by giving people less, but we are talking days, not weeks,” Unrwa official Sam Rose told reporters in Geneva in an online briefing from central Gaza, reports Reuters.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza was once again alarming due to massive reductions in distribution of aid, Unrwa said.
“Six of 25 bakeries that the World Food Programme were supporting had to close down. There are larger crowds on streets outside bakeries,” Rose said.
“This is the longest period since the start of conflict in October 2023 that no supplies whatsoever have entered Gaza. The progress we made as an aid system over the last six weeks of the ceasefire is being reversed,” Rose added.
Israeli supreme court freezes government decision to sack intel chief
Israel’s supreme court on Friday froze the decision by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to sack Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, in order to review appeals filed against the dismissal.
“It is hereby ordered that a provisional measure be taken to stay the effect of the decision subject to the appeals until another decision is made,” the court said in a document obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
It added that the freeze will remain in place until the appeals are presented to the court before 8 April.
The Israeli supreme court has stayed the government’s decision to sack Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
As we reported earlier, the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, has been dismissed, a week after Benjamin Netanyahu said he had lost confidence in him, and despite three days of protests against the move.
“The government unanimously approved prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end ISA [Israeli Security Agency] director Ronen Bar’s term of office,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said.
According to the statement, Bar will leave his post when his successor is appointed, or by 10 April at the latest. You can read more on this story in Lorenzo Tondo’s latest piece:
France opposes any form of 'annexation’ of Gaza, says foreign minister
France opposes any kind of annexation by Israel of the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, the French foreign minister said on Friday, after Israel’s defence minister threatened to annex parts of Gaza unless Hamas released Israeli hostages.
“France is opposed to any form of annexation whether it concerns the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. We have a very clear vision of the future of the region – a solution of two (Israeli and Palestinian) states living side-by-side in peace,” foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters in the eastern city of Dijon, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Agence France-Presse (AFP) has a bit more detail on Israeli defence minister Israel Katz’s orders to the military to “seize more ground” in Gaza.
“I ordered (the army) to seize more territory in Gaza … The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” he said in a statement.
Should Hamas not comply, Katz also threatened “to expand buffer zones around Gaza to protect Israeli civilian population areas and soldiers by implementing a permanent Israeli occupation of the area”.
Katz vowed to step up the assault, using civilian as well as military “pressure points” to defeat Hamas. He added:
We will intensify the fight with aerial, naval and ground shelling as well as by expanding the ground operation until hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated, using all military and civilian pressure points.”
He said these included implementing president Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to redevelop Gaza as a Mediterranean resort after the relocation of its Palestinian inhabitants to other Arab countries.
On Thursday, the Israeli military said troops had begun “conducting ground activity” in the Shabura area of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city near the Egyptian border. It said it had also closed off the territory’s main north-south route as it expanded the ground operations which resumed on Wednesday.
Israel’s government is due to meet Sunday for a no confidence vote on the attorney general, a vocal critic of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking the start of a lengthy dismissal process, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We resolve to express our lack of confidence in the government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, due to her inappropriate behaviour and due to significant and prolonged differences between the government and the government’s legal adviser,” said a cabinet meeting agenda on the website of the prime minister’s office on Friday.
Less than half of Palestinian Red Crescent emergency vehicles are operating due to fuel shortages in Gaza, reports Reuters.
Of 53 vehicles in total, 23 remain operational after aid supplies into Gaza, including fuel, were halted in early March, Tommaso Della Longa from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told reporters in Geneva.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Israeli government will meet on Sunday for a no confidence vote on its attorney general.
More details soon …
Situation in Gaza gravely concerning as aid massively reduced, Unrwa says
The situation in Gaza is gravely concerning with massive reductions in distribution of aid supplies, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) said, reports Reuters.
“This is the longest period since the start of conflict in October 2023 that no supplies whatsoever have entered Gaza. The progress we made as an aid system over the last six weeks of the ceasefire is being reversed,” Sam Rose from Unrwa told reporters, speaking from central Gaza.
Hamas said on Friday it is still discussing US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal and various other ideas, with the aim of reaching a deal to release prisoners, end the war in Gaza, and achieve a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory.
Witkoff presented last week a “bridge” plan to extend the ceasefire in Gaza into April beyond Ramadan and Passover and allow time to negotiate a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Israel minister orders army to 'seize more ground' in Gaza and threatens partial annexation
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said on Friday he ordered the military to “seize more ground” in Gaza and warned of partial annexation if Hamas does not release hostages held in the Palestinian territory, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“I ordered (the army) to seize more territory in Gaza … The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” he said in a statement in which he threatened “permanent occupation” of “buffer zones” inside the Gaza Strip.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) said on Friday that the situation in Gaza is “gravely concerning”, with “massive reductions” in aid distribution and the suspension of learning centres.
More details soon …
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Friday that the army is exerting all available pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages, including evacuating Palestinians in Gaza to the south and implementing US president Donald Trump’s resettlement plan.
Here is a video report on the Israeli protests mentioned in the opening post of the blog:
Israel’s opposition and an NGO said on Friday they had filed a petition against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss Ronen Bar, the head of the internal Shin Bet security agency.
Netanyahu’s government moved to dismiss Bar in the early hours of Friday, after previously citing an “ongoing lack of trust”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel denounced in a statement “an unlawful decision … posing a real risk to the national security of the State of Israel”.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid’s centre-right party Yesh Atid separately said it had filed an appeal with Israel’s supreme court in the name of several opposition movements. Lapid’s party denounced what it called “a decision based on flagrant conflict of interest”.
The opposition’s appeal was filed in the name of Yesh Atid as well as the National Union party headed by former defence minister Benny Gantz, the Democrats party and nationalist party Yisrael Beiteinu.
Netanyahu cited a “persistent loss of professional and personal trust” for Bar’s dismissal, due to take effect by 10 April.
Iran’s Khamenei warns US against action against Tehran
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Friday that Tehran has no proxies in the region and that the groups it backs act independently, reports Reuters.
US president Donald Trump said on Monday he would hold Iran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Yemeni Houthi group that it says Iran supports.
Americans, said Khamenei, “make a big mistake and call regional resistance centres Iranian proxies. What does proxy mean?”.
“The Yemeni nation has its own motivation and the resistance groups in the region have their own motivations. Iran doesn’t need proxies,” Khamenei said.
“They issue threats,” added Khamenei, but “we have never started a confrontation or conflict with anyone. However, if anyone acts with malice and initiates it, they will receive severe slaps.”
Appeal to supreme court over Israel intel chief sacking
Israel’s opposition and an NGO said on Friday they had filed a petition against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss Ronen Bar, the head of the internal Shin Bet security agency.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a pro-democracy pressure group, denounced in a statement “an unlawful decision … posing a real risk to the national security of the State of Israel”, while opposition leader Yair Lapid’s centre-right party said it has filed an appeal with the supreme court, and denounced what it called “a decision based on flagrant conflict of interest”.
Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously on Friday morning to dismiss Bar, according to reports. It marks the first time in Israeli history that the government has fired the head of the domestic security agency, reports the Times of Israel. Bar’s final day will be 10 April.
Tens of thousands of Israelis had taken to the streets over the past few days to call for a new ceasefire in Gaza and to protest against what they say is an attack on the country’s democracy by the rightwing governing coalition of Netanyahu.
The immediate trigger for the anger was Netanyahu’s plan to dismiss Bar, but the prime minister’s decision to shatter a two-month-old truce in Gaza with waves of lethal airstrikes has fuelled the demonstrations.
Key highways were blocked and police made at least 12 arrests amid heated scenes in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. More protests are expected in the coming days as the campaign “gathers momentum and energy”, campaigners said.
More on this story in a moment, but first here are some other key developments:
At least 91 Palestinians have been killed and many more injured in a third day of Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to medical officials in the strip, who said a high proportion of the dead were women and children. Among those pulled alive from rubble on Thursday was a month-old baby girl, but her parents and brother were killed.
Warnings telling Palestinians to evacuate areas in the north and east of Gaza to avoid being trapped by fighting have been issued by the Israeli military, suggesting ground assaults could be imminent, although Israel appears to be relying on air power for now. Thursday’s strikes appeared concentrated on the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis and the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
A strike on a family home in Abasan al-Kabira, a village near Khan Younis, on Thursday killed at least 16 people, mostly women and children, according to the nearby European hospital, which received the dead. The home was within an area covered by a recent evacuation order.
In its first military response to the Israeli offensive since the ceasefire was broken, Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv in Israel on Thursday. No casualties or damage were reported.
Iran’s supreme leader said Friday that US threats against his country “will get them nowhere”, after US president Donald Trump warned of possible military action against the Islamic republic.
Updated
