Israel to Fully Occupy Gaza, Forcing Hamas To Release Hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has purportedly authorized a complete military occupation of the Gaza Strip to persuade Hamas to release hostages, sources in the area informed the Jerusalem Post.

The operation would extend Israeli military control, already spanning roughly 75% of Gaza, to the remaining territory where hostages are estimated to be held.

According to an internal memo, Netanyahu made the decision without consulting the Israeli military’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, directing him to obey or step down.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned France, Canada, and the UK for not being sufficiently supportive of efforts to release the hostages, insisting that they should pressure Hamas and not Israel, emphasizing that they should support the country that was attacked and protect the hostages.

Huckabee’s statement comes on the heels of the three nations announcing their intent to recognize the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State of the United Nations, a designation reserved solely for nations at the globalist organization.

According to Channel 12, Senior Israeli leaders are certain that Hamas will release the estimated 50 remaining hostages only under intense military pressure, but Israeli lawmaker Gilad Kariv issued a caution that full-scale occupation could risk the lives of the hostages and have serious security, humanitarian, and diplomatic consequences.

Families of the remaining hostages have also protested against expanding military actions into the remaining safe zones in Gaza, where their loved ones are likely to be held captive, for fear of increased danger.

Additionally, the proposed takeover stands in contrast to earlier Israel Defense Forces approximations, which put a premium on the threat to hostages and the feasibility of continuing operations within populated towns. The IDF approximated that such an operation would take years and endanger the lives of the estimated 20 hostages believed to be alive.

Hamas has instructed its members to execute hostages if Israeli soldiers approach, a tactic evidenced in terror last year when six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were killed by their captors. The terrorist group has also maintained that it will not agree to a hostage exchange without a framework that would permanently end the war which would, according to the terrorists, need to include provisions for them to retain their weapons and control over Gaza.

Israel and the United States recently withdrew mediators from Qatar, blaming Hamas’s bad-faith negotiating and unrealistic demands, such as a permanent truce and the retention of its weapons and grip on Gaza.

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