Israel expands Gaza ground offensive as Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv
The escalation in hostilities came after a two-month cease-fire in Gaza collapsed this week with a deadly Israeli aerial bombardment in the territory, which the military said had targeted Hamas. Israel argued that the truce could not continue unless Hamas released more hostages still held in Gaza, while Hamas accused Israel of violating the cease-fire agreement.
The potential endgame for this round of fighting, however, remained far from clear. Israel and Hamas have set seemingly incompatible conditions for the next steps in the cease-fire, and the renewed Israeli assault had yet to force Hamas to accept its demands.
Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in an interview Thursday that the group was unwilling to disarm its military wing -- a key Israeli precondition for ending the war.
'If you do that, you're giving the occupation an opportunity to kill without any Palestinian response,' Badran said from Doha, Qatar.
He added that Hamas had delayed firing rockets until Thursday in an attempt to give mediators more time to pressure Israel to halt its attacks. But as Israel continued its assault and the death toll rose in Gaza, he said, 'Hamas had to give indications that it can respond.'
The renewed Israeli assault has killed more than 500 people in Gaza over the past three days, including scores of children, the Gaza health ministry said Thursday. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
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The United States, which had been seeking to broker an extension of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, has thrown its weight behind the Israeli offensive. Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokesperson, told reporters Thursday that President Trump 'fully supports Israel' and 'the actions that they've taken in recent days.'
After the Hamas rocket attack, the Israeli military warned Palestinians in Bani Suheila, in southern Gaza, to flee, saying militants were firing from the area. Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesperson, called it 'a final advance warning' before an Israeli attack.
Hamas said at least five senior members of its Gaza leadership were among hundreds of people killed in Israeli strikes Tuesday. The Israeli military said Thursday that it had killed at least two other Hamas security officials.
In Gaza, the escalating conflict prompted panic and fear among Palestinians, who had hoped for a longer respite from violence. Many said they saw little hope for a resolution to the crisis soon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to step up pressure on Hamas until the group capitulates and releases more hostages. About 24 living Israeli and foreign captives -- 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 the release of the rest of the captives remain unchanged, including an agreement to end the war, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of more Palestinian prisoners.
The 15-month war in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 in the territory, including thousands of children, according to the Gaza health ministry. Hamas set off the conflict by leading a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 taken as hostages back to Gaza.
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The cease-fire reached in January secured an initial six-week truce while mediators sought to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas on a comprehensive truce. But it lapsed in early March without a broader agreement.
Almost immediately, Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, including food and medicine, in an apparent effort to pressure Hamas in the negotiations to free more hostages. Later, the Israeli government cut off electricity it provided to a desalination plant.
Mediators were trying to reach a deal to extend the truce, including a permanent end to the war and the release of the remaining living hostages. Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, pitched a proposal that would extend the initial cease-fire in exchange for the release of more captives.
Badran, the Hamas official, suggested the group was willing to show some flexibility over such a deal to jump-start talks aimed at ending the war. Previously, Hamas had spoken only of releasing one living and four slain American Israeli hostages in such an agreement, keeping more than 50 others still in Gaza.
'The problem isn't the numbers,' Badran said. 'We're acting positively with any proposal that leads to the start of negotiations' over a permanent truce.
But Israel has been unwilling to end the war as long as Hamas still controls Gaza. Hamas is refusing to disband its armed battalions or send its leaders into exile.
Members of the Israeli parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee -- who receive classified intelligence briefings -- said in a recent letter that Hamas still had more than 25,000 fighters.
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Hamas's allies in Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi militia, have also resumed shooting missiles at Israeli territory, setting off air-raid sirens across the central and southern parts of the country at least three times over the past two days.
The Houthis shot missiles and drones at Israel for more than a year in solidarity with the militants in Gaza, pausing only when the cease-fire went into effect in January.
Over the past week, US warplanes have carried out large-scale attacks in Yemen against the Houthis, in what US officials proclaimed was an attempt to stop the group from targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea.
On Wednesday, Trump said the Houthis would be 'completely annihilated,' and warned Iran to stop supporting the militants. Israel and the Biden administration had repeatedly bombarded the Houthis without successfully deterring them.
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