Israel: Opening the “gates of hell” in Gaza City
Updated 17.04 | Published 14.56
The Israeli military (IDF) says it controls 40 percent of Gaza City.
Now it intends to open the “gates of hell,” Defense Minister Israel Katz says.
– The IDF will intensify its operations until Hamas accepts Israel’s conditions to end the war, he says.
Quick version
The Israeli military (IDF) has increased its attacks on Gaza City in recent days.
Spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that Israel now controls 40 percent of the territory in the city, which is described as Hamas’s last terror stronghold.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that Israel will open the “gates of hell” in Gaza City:
– The IDF will intensify its operations until Hamas accepts Israel’s conditions for ending the war – with the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas as the first step.
Shortly afterwards, fighter jets attacked a high-rise building in Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground.
Israel said it had announced an evacuation and that the attack was aimed at “Hamas infrastructure.”
The owner of the high-rise denies any Hamas links. The evacuation order came just 15 minutes before the first attack, writes Al Jazeera, which states that many were injured.
Rejected the proposal
It was in early August that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel intended to take full control of the entire Gaza Strip. The government has approved an invasion of Gaza City, and a first phase has begun. Shortly after the approval, the UN declared that full-blown famine prevails in Gaza City, after almost two years of war.
At the same time, Hamas has stated that it is prepared to release all of the remaining hostages taken in the terrorist attack on October 7 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and Israel withdrawing from all of Gaza.
The Netanyahu government has rejected the proposal and said that the war will continue until the hostages are freed, Hamas is defeated and Gaza is under full Israeli control.
Video of the hostages
On Friday, Hamas also published a new video of two of the hostages, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal says in the clip that he is in Gaza City and that both he and the other hostages will remain there during Israel's invasion. He also says that Hamas may move the hostages to areas where the Israeli military is conducting operations.
The video and its content have not been independently verified.
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