Israel orders IDF to seize more Gaza territory if Hamas doesn't release hostages

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to seize more territory in Gaza if Hamas continues to refuse to release the hostages. Earlier this week, the IDF resumed the war in Gaza after a nearly two-month-long ceasefire that saw the release of 33 hostages.

"If the terrorist organization Hamas continues to refuse to release the hostages, I have instructed the IDF to seize additional territories, while evacuating the population, and to expand the security zones around Gaza for the benefit of protecting Israeli communities and IDF soldiers, through permanent Israeli control of the territory," Katz said in a statement. "As Hamas continues its refusal, it will lose more and more territory that will be annexed to Israel."

If Israel follows through on Katz’s threat of partial annexation, it would be the biggest shift to the status quo in Gaza in almost 20 years. In 2005, Israel evacuated Gaza and even sent in the IDF to physically take Israelis out of their homes. A year later, Hamas took control and has ruled over the Strip ever since.

Katz also said that Israel will continue Operation "Strength and Sword" with increasing intensity until Hamas releases the hostages. Additionally, he affirmed Israel’s adherence to the proposal put forth by U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, which involves getting all hostages, alive and dead, out of Gaza in two phases.

The Trump administration is standing by Israel’s military decisions. This is a very different approach than the one taken by the Biden administration, which supported Israel militarily and diplomatically, but also put pressure on the country to limit civilian casualties in Gaza.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that President Donald Trump "fully supports Israel and the IDF in the actions that they’ve taken in recent days." The president previously warned Hamas that there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages were not released.

"Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose war," NSC Spokesman James Hewitt said on Thursday. "These terrorists bear total responsibility for this conflict and the resumption of hostilities. Every death would have and could have been avoided had Hamas accepted the 'bridge' proposal Special Envoy Witkoff offered last week."

While fighting the war against Gaza, Israel is also experiencing internal turmoil. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that a vote to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s version of the FBI, had passed. Current Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar will serve in the role until April 10, but that could change depending on when a replacement for him is found.

Netanyahu claimed he could not trust Bar, according to a statement from his spokesperson cited by Axios. In a letter distributed by the Shin Bet, Bar dismissed the claim and said the motives behind his firing were baseless. On Friday, Israel's Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction preventing Bar's dismissal, which will remain in place until the court can hear petitions against the dismissal.

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