KEY POINTS
- Hamas ready to hold negotiations to achieve its goals
- Gaza’s health ministry says Israeli strikes kill 855 people since March 18
- Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua killed in an Israeli airstrike
- UN says 142,000 people have been forced to flee in a week
- Israeli army orders Gaza residents to evacuate to south
- Netanyahu warns of intensified action if hostages are not released
GAZA CITY: Hamas on Thursday reiterated its willingness to engage in negotiations as Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 855 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the resumption of large-scale military operations on March 18, the territory’s health ministry said.
Senior Hamas official Dr Khalil al-Hayya said on Thursday that the group was prepared to continue negotiations “responsibly” to achieve its goals.
“We affirm our readiness to continue working and negotiating responsibly to achieve our goals,” he said in a brief statement on Telegram.
Al-Hayya accused Israel of failing to honour a truce deal agreed upon in January.
“Over the past period, we received a number of proposals and initiatives, and we dealt with them positively and responsibly to achieve our goals of a complete cessation of aggression against our people in Gaza, ensuring a full withdrawal from the Strip, exchanging prisoners, rebuilding, and ending the blockade,” he stated.
“However, the Zionist occupation reneged on the agreement it signed with us and the mediators, refusing to move to the second phase, and once again resuming its aggression against our people.”
Hamas spokesperson killed in Israeli strike
Israeli airstrikes have continued to target Hamas leadership, with the group confirming the death of spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua in an attack on Jabalia in northern Gaza.
The strike, which hit a tent he was in, also wounded several others, according to Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV.
Hamas has lost several senior figures in recent Israeli offensives. The Israeli military has confirmed the killing of Essam al-Dalis, who headed Hamas’s administration in Gaza, along with Rashid Jahjouh, the head of the group’s internal security agency.
The group has also confirmed the deaths of Salah al-Bardawil and Yasser Harb, both members of its political bureau.
Hamas said in a statement that the deaths of its leaders “will not break our will.”
Israel orders evacuation amid bombardment
The Israeli military has issued fresh evacuation orders in several areas of Gaza City, including Zeitoun, Tel al-Hawa, the Old City, Sheikh Ajlin, and southern Remal.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned on social media platform X that civilians must move south of Wadi Gaza “for their safety.”
Since 18 March, the Israeli military has carried out 430 strikes in Gaza, as well as 18 in Syria and 40 targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, it said in a statement.
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The military also reported intercepting 14 attacks in the past week, including missiles from Yemen and rockets from Lebanon and Gaza.
UN reports mass displacement
The United Nations has warned of the humanitarian consequences of Israel’s renewed military actions, stating that 142,000 people have been displaced in Gaza in just one week.
“About 90 per cent of Gaza’s population has been displaced at least once between the start of the conflict on 7 October 2023 and January of this year,” a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said as quoted by AFP.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) also raised alarms about the deteriorating conditions.
“Bodies remain under the rubble of destroyed structures, and doctors describe how ‘many injured people have died in front of our eyes while we couldn’t treat them,’” Al Jazeera quoted the agency as saying.
Netanyahu threatens to seize Gaza territory
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel will escalate its pressure on Hamas, including seizing territory in Gaza, if hostages held by the group are not released.
“The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release our hostages, the stronger the pressure we will exert,” Netanyahu told parliament.
“This includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate on here,” he added.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant signalled an expansion of military operations. “Israeli forces will soon operate with full force in additional areas of Gaza, and you will be asked to evacuate from combat zones for your own safety,” he posted on X.
