Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel will destroy Hamas completely, even though the Palestinian group stated that it is reviewing new ceasefire proposals from mediators in Qatar and Egypt.
President Donald Trump recently claimed that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire plan, but Netanyahu has not responded to that claim yet.
In a speech in Ashkelon, near Gaza’s border, Netanyahu said, โWe will free all our hostages, and we will eliminate Hamas. It will be no more.โ
Meanwhile, Hamas said it was โconducting national consultations to discussโ the new proposals and is looking to reach an agreement that includes ending Israeli attacks, ensuring Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and getting urgent help for civilians in Gaza.
Casualties and Airstrikes Continue
On Wednesday, at least 47 people were reported killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, according to the civil defence agency.
One of the victims was Marwan Al-Sultan, the director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.
In southern Gaza, five members of a family were killed when a tent for displaced people in Al-Mawasi was struck by an Israeli air raid.
Al-Mawasi had been declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, but has been repeatedly targeted since then.
Footage showed tents destroyed and people searching through rubble. A woman named Maha Abu Rizq asked, โThey came here thinking it was a safe area, and they were killed. What did they do?โ
In nearby Khan Yunis, videos showed wounded children being taken to Nasser Hospital. One man shouted, โChildren, children!โ while carrying a blood-covered child.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal also reported five more people killed near an aid site in Rafah and another in central Gaza, adding to the list of civilians killed while trying to access food.
Hostages and Ceasefire Negotiations
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said there were โsome positive signsโ about talks to release hostages and achieve a ceasefire.
โWe are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire,โ he added.
Out of 251 hostages taken in Hamas’s October 2023 attack, 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 believed to be dead, according to the Israeli military.
A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said the new proposal being discussed is similar to previous ones. It includes a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release half of the surviving hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israeli Military’s Response and New Warnings
Israel’s military said in a statement that it is acting in line with international law and trying to reduce harm to civilians.
It confirmed the death of a 19-year-old Israeli sergeant in northern Gaza during combat.
Later, the military issued a new evacuation order for three neighbourhoods in Gaza City, asking residents to move to Al-Mawasi.
Israeli forces warned they would target locations used to fire missiles into Israel.
Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote, โThe destruction of terrorist organisations will continue and expand into the city center, encompassing all neighbourhoods of the city.โ
Israel also said that two projectiles from northern Gaza were intercepted by its air force.
Casualties and Historical Context
Israel’s offensive began in response to Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, based on Israeli figures.
Since then, the Israeli campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gazaโs health ministry, which is run by Hamas.
The United Nations considers these figures credible.
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