Amid limited progress in ceasefire negotiations, Israel is reportedly threatening to “expand the Gaza occupation” as a tactic to pressure Hamas and compel them to accept Israel’s terms. This threat is seen as a deliberate move aimed at increasing leverage in the talks.<\/p>\n
Two Egyptian security sources who spoke to Reuters<\/em> stated that “significant progress” has been made in the Gaza ceasefire talks held in Cairo. While a general consensus on a long-term ceasefire was reported, it was emphasized that serious disagreements persist on issues such as the disarmament of Hamas.<\/p>\n An Israeli official who spoke to The Times of Israel<\/em> disputed the Egyptian account, stating, “Not everything the Egyptians are saying is true,” and that they remain far from an agreement on fundamental issues like the ceasefire duration and Hamas’s future. Hamas has repeatedly stated it will not disarm.<\/p>\n Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stated that while progress has been made on the ceasefire in talks held in Doha, there is no agreement yet on how the war will be ended. According to Qatar, Hamas is prepared to release all Israeli hostages it holds if Israel guarantees an end to the war. However, the Israeli side has not presented a clear plan in response to this demand.<\/p>\n Israeli media reported that if hostage negotiations with Hamas stall, the ground operation in Gaza will be expanded.<\/p>\n An Israeli defense official who spoke to Yedioth Ahronoth<\/em> reported that the government has decided to escalate the conflict due to the lack of progress in negotiations. While some ministers are pushing for an immediate expansion of the ground operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz have reportedly favored exhausting diplomatic channels first.<\/p>\n Israel also rejected the latest offer from Hamas, mediated by Egypt, which proposed the release of all hostages in exchange for a 5 to 7-year ceasefire. Israeli sources stated that there is currently no realistic alternative to secure the return of the hostages. “We still want to try all ways to rescue the hostages, but our patience is not unlimited,” they reportedly said.<\/p>\n At a security cabinet meeting held last week, some ministers argued that if a hostage agreement is not reached by a certain deadline, Israel should move to a “decision phase.” This phase would involve calling up thousands of reserve soldiers, deploying several military divisions to Gaza, and bringing in heavier weaponry.<\/p>\n According to these scenarios, the goal is to exert direct pressure on Hamas by taking control of strategic areas of Gaza. It was reported that Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir effectively approved these plans last week. Meanwhile, Israeli state television KAN<\/em> reported that the army is preparing to establish a new humanitarian zone between Rafah and the Morag Corridor.<\/p>\n Israel’s ground operation plans are also facing serious internal criticism. The Hostage Families Forum reacted to the government, stating, “Why are we doing the same thing and expecting a different result? Why are we sinking deeper into the Gaza swamp?”<\/p>\n Channel 12<\/em> television assessed that an expanded operation would increase the burden on already exhausted reserve soldiers and further worsen the situation of the captives.<\/p>\n The Israeli army, which already faced a shortage of approximately 10,000 soldiers, had extended the mandatory service period for male soldiers by four months to alleviate this burden.<\/p>\n Senior commanders who spoke to Haaretz<\/em>\u00a0announced that participation in reserve soldier call-ups has dropped by %50.<\/p>\n Israel resumed operations in Gaza on March 18 after the temporary ceasefire collapsed in January, stating that pressure would continue until Hamas releases the remaining hostages. The number of Israeli hostages currently estimated to be alive is stated to be 24.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amid limited progress in ceasefire negotiations, Israel is reportedly threatening to “expand the Gaza occupation” as a tactic to pressure Hamas and compel them to accept Israel’s terms. This threat is seen as a deliberate move aimed at increasing leverage in the talks. Two Egyptian security sources who spoke to Reuters stated that “significant progress” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9270,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1138,1612,9585,3775,9588,5048,9586,1935,6871,9587],"class_list":["post-9269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middleeast","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-gaza-conflict","tag-gaza-ground-operation","tag-hostage-negotiations","tag-humanitarian-zone-gaza","tag-israel-hamas-ceasefire","tag-israeli-military-strategy","tag-rafah-operation","tag-reserve-soldiers","tag-sheikh-mohammed-bin-abdulrahman-al-thani"],"yoast_head":"\n