Israel warns Hamas to accept ceasefire terms as military offensive may expand

Palestinians flee the Abu Iskandar area of northern Gaza City on Friday. PIC/AFP

Israel's defence minister warned on Friday that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel's terms, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area. A day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorise the military to mount a major operation to seize Gaza City, Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the enclave's largest city could "turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun", areas reduced to rubble earlier in the war.

"The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas' murderers and rapists in Gaza, until they agree to Israel's conditions for ending the war," Katz wrote in a post on X. He restated Israel's cease-fire demands: the release of all hostages and Hamas' complete disarmament. Hamas has said it would release captives in exchange for ending the war, but rejects disarmament without the creation of a Palestinian state.

The wide-scale operation in Gaza City could start within days. Gaza City is Hamas' military and governing stronghold, atop of what Israel believes is an extensive tunnel network. It is also sheltering hundreds of thousands of civilians and still houses some of the strip's critical infrastructure and health facilities.

Hamas said earlier this week that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators, which, if accepted by Israel, could forestall the offensive. The parties do not negotiate directly and similar announcements made in the past did not lead to ceasefires.

The proposal outlines a phased deal involving hostage and prisoner exchanges and a pullback of Israeli troops, while talks continue on a longer-term cease-fire. Israeli leaders have resisted such terms since abandoning a similar agreement earlier this year amid divisions within Netanyahu's coalition and strong opposition from his right.

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