The Japan Times - Israel PM threatens to seize parts of Gaza over fate of hostages

Just over a week since the military resumed operations following a January truce, Israel said two projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip, with one intercepted and the other landing near the border. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

The rocket fire came as rare protests against Hamas by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were held for a second consecutive day, with demonstrators chanting slogans against the Islamist movement and calling for an end to the war.

Israel's resumption of intense bombardment and ground operations across Gaza shattered weeks of relative calm brought by a fragile ceasefire, and militants returned to launching rocket attacks days later.

According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 830 people have been killed in the territory since Israel restarted its strikes on March 18. No deaths have been reported on the Israeli side.

The United Nations said on Wednesday that the renewed Israeli operations had displaced 142,000 people in just seven days and warned of dwindling supplies amid Israel's blocking of aid.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would "soon operate with full force in additional areas of Gaza" and would send out more evacuation orders.

Israeli officials say the new operations are meant to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages following a stalemate in talks with mediators on extending the truce -- in which 33 Israeli captives were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel wanted an extension of the truce's initial phase, while Hamas demanded talks on a second stage that was meant to lead to a permanent ceasefire.

- 'Random bombardment' -

Netanyahu told parliament that "the more Hamas persists in its refusal to release our hostages, the stronger the pressure we will exert".

"This includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate here," he added.

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

"Every time the occupation attempts to retrieve its captives by force, it ends up bringing them back in coffins," Hamas said in a statement.

The group said it was "doing everything possible to keep the (Israeli) occupation's captives alive, but the random Zionist bombardment is endangering their lives".

Gal Gilboa-Dalal, an Israeli survivor of the 2023 attack whose brother was taken hostage, told AFP he "constantly" imagines their reunion.

"This moment felt closer than ever and unfortunately, it's drifting away from me again," he said of his brother Guy Gilboa-Dalal, taken from a music festival near the Gaza border and last seen in a video shared by Hamas last month.

"We are fighting here against a terrorist organisation that only understands force," Gal Gilboa-Dalal said.

"On the other hand, I am terrified that these bombings and this operation... will endanger the hostages there. There's no way to know what the terrorists might do to them or if a missile might accidentally hit them," he added.

- 'We are tired' -

The October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 50,183 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry.

In northern Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinians gathered for a second day of anti-Hamas protests, chanting "Out, out, Hamas out!"

"We do not want Hamas! We are tired," said protester Muayed Zahir, who took part in a rally in Gaza City. Another protest took place in nearby Beit Lahia.

Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 after winning a Palestinian election the year before. No vote has been held since.

Levels of discontent towards Hamas in Gaza are difficult to gauge, in part because of its intolerance for public expressions of dissent.

Fatah, the movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, has called on Hamas to "step aside from governing" Gaza to safeguard the "existence" of Palestinians in the war-battered territory.

S.Ogawa--JT