Israel threatens Hamas amid ceasefire talks and rising international pressure—the details

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Israel has kept up the intensity of its threats against Hamas, despite a daytime humanitarian truce and the possibility that negotiations over a ceasefire and hostages exchange deal may soon be within reach.

While the Israeli army continues operations in designated areas of Gaza and maintains a widespread deployment across the territory, Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated his threat to turn Gaza into “hell” if Hamas does not release the hostages.

Under the truce, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Israeli forces are restricted from carrying out military operations — a measure that has drawn sharp criticism from members of the governing coalition and right-wing lawmakers. 

They oppose the suspension of efforts to evacuate around 600,000 Palestinians from large areas of the enclave as part of what Israel calls the “humanitarian city” plan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to balance efforts to preserve his coalition government while easing international pressure.

Israel has also launched a campaign targeting the United Nations' stance on what it calls the starvation of Gaza, ahead of a U.N. meeting on Monday. 

The meeting comes amid a joint French-Saudi initiative aimed at recognizing a Palestinian state — a move that Israel views as unilateral and unlikely to shift its opposition to a two-state solution ahead of a planned summit in September.