Terrorist Groups Consider Relocating Hostages to Gaza City To Pressure Israel
Terrorist groups in Gaza are planning to transfer the living Israeli hostages into Gaza City, linking their fate to Israel’s upcoming military operation, the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Sunday.
Sources in the organizations said the plan is still under discussion and no final decision has been made. “The goal is to increase pressure on Israel and tie the fate of the living hostages to Netanyahu’s decisions,” the paper quoted. Until now, the captives were preserved as bargaining chips for prisoner exchanges and ceasefire talks. But with Israel preparing to capture Gaza City, leaders may change strategy. One source explained that the idea had not been raised in other areas taken by Israel because “the current plan for Gaza City is the most dangerous of all.”
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is moving ahead with plans to evacuate Gaza City residents and then seize the city. On Sunday, the IDF presented its operational outline to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, which will be reviewed by Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday before going to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security cabinet.
At the same time, Jerusalem is awaiting Hamas’ answer to the latest mediation proposal. Publicly, Netanyahu has rejected partial deals, yet officials acknowledge such an arrangement has not been entirely ruled out. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pressed Netanyahu to act decisively, saying, “Announce with your own voice that there will be no more pauses halfway, no more partial deals. Give the order for the IDF to storm Gaza and the central camps. Achieve total victory in one stroke.”
The report came as mass protests filled Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Square. A senior Israeli official criticized the demonstrations, saying, “Will demonstrations bring the hostages home? Unfortunately, no. They should demonstrate against Hamas. We agreed to a deal, and Hamas saw that the international campaign—combined with the starvation narrative and the Palestinian state campaign—was playing into its hands, so it dragged its feet.”
