The Japan Times - Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed

The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for a 60-day truce in its offensive against Hamas in the war-ravaged territory.

But a week ahead of talks scheduled with Trump in Washington, he vowed to "destroy" Hamas "down to their very foundation".

Hamas said it was "conducting national consultations to discuss" the proposals submitted in negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations.

The civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 33 people on Wednesday.

Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal.

Hamas said in a statement it was studying the latest proposals and aiming "to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip".

Netanyahu vowed however: "We will free all our hostages, and we will eliminate Hamas. It will be no more," in filmed comments in the city of Ashkelon near Gaza's northern border.

- Hostage release drive -

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar earlier said he saw "some positive signs", amid high pressure to bring home the hostages.

"We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire," he said. "Our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible."

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

A Palestinian source familiar with the mediated negotiations told AFP "there are no fundamental changes in the new proposal" under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.

The source said the new proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees".

- Israeli air strikes -

In southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area.

Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.

AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tents blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.

"They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed. What did they do?" said one resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.

AFP footage from nearby Khan Yunis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: "Children, children!"

Among other fatalities, Bassal later reported five people killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of the territory.

They were the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have hit people trying to receive food.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.

- Evacuation order -

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it "is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" in line with "international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm".

It said in a statement that a 19-year-old sergeant in its forces "fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip".

The military late Wednesday issued a fresh evacuation warning to residents for three neighbourhoods of Gaza City, urging them to flee south to the Mawasi area.

Israeli forces are "operating with extreme intensity in the area and will attack any location being used to launch missiles toward the State of Israel", Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a message on Telegram.

"The destruction of terrorist organisations will continue and expand into the city centre, encompassing all neighbourhoods of the city," Avichay wrote.

The military earlier said its air force had intercepted two "projectiles" that crossed from northern Gaza into Israeli territory.

Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.

K.Tanaka--JT