Israel Threatens Hamas Again: Either a Ceasefire in Days or Annexation of Land from Gaza

Translation by SadaNews - Israel renewed its threat to Hamas this evening, Wednesday, to annex parts of the Gaza Strip if the movement does not take a positive stance regarding the ceasefire negotiations.

According to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, as translated by SadaNews, Israel conveyed a message through intermediaries to Hamas, stating that if they do not respond positively to the proposal on the table, it will begin annexing parts of Gaza in the coming days, particularly in the buffer zone.

Israel is considering several alternatives following the end of Operation "Gideon's Chariots," which failed to bring about a shift in the issue of the captives, including land annexation, imposing military rule, and enforcing a blockade on Palestinian populated areas in the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli official stated that one of the current steps being taken is the announcement of the annexation of the buffer zone that has been established, extending to more than one and a half kilometers, and this message was conveyed to the intermediaries yesterday.

Meanwhile, Channel 13 reported that senior officials said Israel has set a deadline for Hamas: either a positive response in the coming days in preparation for an agreement or the annexation of areas from the sector will begin.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel tomorrow, a development that Israel sees as potentially a good gesture towards making progress in the negotiations.

Sources have suggested that Witkoff will exert more pressure on both Israel and Hamas through Qatar and Egypt to resume negotiations.

Today, Israel provided its response to the intermediaries regarding Hamas's response given about a week ago, refusing many points, including the full withdrawal from the locations specified by Hamas, as well as its rejection of exchanging the bodies of Israeli prisoners for living Palestinian prisoners.