The Israeli army spread on Thursday its terrestrial operations over the Gaza belt, while Hamas fired rockets in central Israel for the first time in the months, in what increasingly looked like sliding towards the war in its entirety.
Israeli soldiers began to expedite part of the part of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, the army announced, as in the vicinity of Beit Lahiya in the north of the enclave. These moves followed the day after Israel announced that he had withdrew a part of Netzarim’s corridor, which divides the central gauze after withdrawing from the area as part of January, he appeared with Hamas.
There were no reports of victims from Hamas’s missiles, fired at the coastal city of Tel Aviv. The Israeli army announced that three rockets or intercepted or fell into open areas.
Eskallation in hostilities followed after a two -month fire fire in Gaza collapsed this week Deadly Israeli air bombing In the territory, which the army said was aiming for Hamas. Israel claimed that the truce could not continue if Hamas had not published more hostages still held in Gaza, while Hamas accused Israel of violating the fire interruption agreement.
However, the potential end for this circle of fighting remained far from clear. Israel and Hamas set the seemingly incompatible conditions for the following steps in the interruption of fire, and the renovated Israeli attack is yet to be forced to force Hamas to accept his requests.
Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in an interview on Thursday that the group does not want to disarm his military wing – a key Israeli prerequisite for the end of the war.
“If you do, you give an occupation the opportunity to kill without any Palestinian response,” said Mr. Badran of Doha, Qatar.
He added that by Thursday, Hamas delayed the shooting of rockets in an attempt to give mediators more time to press Israel to stop his attacks. But as Israel continued the attack and the number of deaths increased in Gaza, he said: “Hamas had to give indications that he could react.”
The renovated Israeli attack has been killed by more than 500 people in Gaza in the last three days, including many children, Ministry of Health Gazan said on Thursday. Data does not distinguish civilians and fighters.
The United States, which wanted to raise the extension of the permanent fire between Israel and Hamas, threw their weight behind the Israeli offensive. Karoline Leavitt, a white house spokeswoman, told reporters on Thursday that President Trump “fully supports Israel” and “The actions they have taken in recent days.”
After the Hamas rocket attack, the Israeli army warned Palestinians in Bana Suheili, in southern Gaza, to escape, saying that the militants had shot from the area. Avichay Adraee, Israeli military spokesman, invited This is a “final pre -warning” before the Israeli attack.
Hamas said at least five older members of her leadership in Gaza were among the hundreds of people killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday. The Israeli army announced on Thursday that she had killed at least two other Hamas security officials.
In Gaza, the escalating conflict encouraged panic and fear among the Palestinians, who hoped for a longer break from violence. Many said they soon saw a little hope for the crisis solving.
Abdelkarim al-Harazin, 28, a doctor in the city of Gaza, said the truce gave Palestinians a few weeks to recover from the year of hunger and deprived: the border crossings reopened and help came in. Now, whatever the food remains, sells at “heavenly prices” from the reach for many who have lost all who have lost everything in the war, he said.
He accused Israel of breaking a dedication fire. But he also said that Hamas leaders should transfer the dozen of Israeli and foreign hostages that are still held in Gaza to spare the Palestine of more Israeli attacks.
“Everyone is exhausted,” Mr. Al-Harazin said. “How long will we have to continue to live like this?”
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, vowed to enhance the pressure on the hammass until the group capitulated and released hostages anymore. About 24 lives of Israeli and foreign prisoners – as well as the remains of more than 30 others – are believed to be in Gaza, according to Israel.
Hamas officials say their demands for release of other prisoners remain unchanged, including an agreement on the end of the war, a completely Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. and releasing more Palestinian prisoners.
The 15-month war in Gaza killed more than 48,000 in the territory, including thousands of children, according to the Gazana Ministry of Health. Hamas started a conflict with a leading sudden attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and saw about 250 taken hostage back to Gaza.
The interrupted fire reached in January, secured the initial truce in six weeks, while the mediators sought to bridge the defects between Israel and Hamas to a comprehensive truce. But it was decaying in early March without a wider agreement.
Almost immediately, Israel blocked the humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, including food and medicine, in an apparent effort to press Hamas in negotiations to release more hostages. Later, the Israeli government interrupted the current provided by the Desalinization plant.
M Steve Witkoff, an envoy of Mr. Trump Middle East, made a proposal to extend the initial interruption of fire in exchange for release of multiple prisoners.
Mr. Badran, an official of Hamas, suggested that the group was ready to show a certain flexibility in relation to such an agreement to jump in conversations with the aim of ending the war. Previously, Hamas spoke only about the release of one living and four killed American-Israeli hostages in such an agreement, holding more than 50 others in Gaza.
“The problem is not numbers,” Mr. Badran said. “We act positively with any proposal that leads to the start of the negotiations” due to a permanent dedication.
But Israel was not willing to end the war until Hamas still controls the gauze. Hamas refuses to dissolve his armed battalions or send his leaders to exile.
Members of the Israeli Parliament and Foreign Defense Affairs – who received classified intelligence briefings – said in a recent letter That Hamas still had more than 25,000 fighters.
The Hamas Allies in Yemen, the Iranian militia supported by Houthhi, also continued shooting rockets on Israeli territory, moving to air faults in the central and southern parts of the country for at least three times in the last two days.
Houthis shot rockets and drones in Israel for more than a year in solidarity with militants in Gaza, pausing only when the fire broke out into force in January.
During last week, American war planes performed major attacks in Yemen against Houthis, in what US officials declared an attempt to prevent a group to target commercial ships in the Red Sea.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said Houthis would be “completely destroyed” and warned Iran to stop supporting the militants. Israel and the management of Biden have repeatedly bombed Houthis without successfully deterring them.
Rawan Sheik Ahmad,, Ephrat Livni and Myra Novack contribute to reporting.
