Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to take over additional areas of Gaza and expand Israel's security area around the Gaza Strip.

"Israel will continue its operation with increasing force, until Hamas releases the hostages," Katz said. "We are keeping to the proposal by US Special Envoy Witkoff to release all of the hostages, living and no longer alive, ahead of time and in two groups with a ceasefire in the process - without endangering Israel's security interests."

He warned, "If the Hamas terror group refuses to release the hostages, I have instructed the IDF to take over additional areas, while evacuating the civilian population, and expand the security areas around Gaza for the purpose of protecting the Israeli towns and the IDF soldiers, by a permanent Israeli hold on the land."

"As long as Hamas remains steadfast in its refusal, it will lose more and more land, which will be added to Israel," he stressed.

"We will increase the fighting with strikes from the air, the sea, and the ground, and by expanding the ground operations until the hostages are released and Hamas is defeated, while using all military and civilian means, including evacuation of Gazans southwards and implementing US President Trump's plan of voluntary emigration," Katz said.

Earlier this week, the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) began conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. The strikes followed Hamas’ refusal to release more hostages and its rejection US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal.