Israel on Sunday renewed its demand that Hamas surrender and release the remaining hostages in Gaza, as the military intensified strikes on Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Jerusalem that the conflict could end immediately if Hamas laid down its weapons and freed the captives.
“We will be more than happy to reach this objective with political means,” Saar said.
In response, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters the group would release all hostages if Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza. Hamas, however, has consistently refused to discuss disarmament.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza City last month, and its forces are now within a few kilometres of the city centre. Overnight, strikes killed 14 people, including in an attack on a school sheltering displaced families, according to local health officials.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas militant and that civilians were warned in advance. “Israeli forces will continue to operate against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to remove any threat to Israeli civilians,” a spokesperson said.
Residents described the scale of destruction as unbearable. “What are you waiting for? We say to Hamas, we want a ceasefire, end this war before Gaza City is turned into ruins like Rafah,” said Emad, a Gaza City resident, who asked that his surname not be published. “We want an end to this war. How long is this going to go? How many lives are going to be wasted? Enough is enough.”
Over the weekend, Israeli airstrikes levelled two high-rise buildings sheltering displaced Palestinians. The military said they were being used by Hamas, but provided no evidence. Hamas denied the claim.
Israel has dropped leaflets urging civilians to move south, but hundreds of thousands already crowd tent encampments along Gaza’s coastline.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage. Of the 48 hostages still believed to be in Gaza, Israeli officials say around 20 may be alive. Most of those freed so far were released through indirect negotiations.
Israel maintains that the war will only end if Hamas releases the hostages, disarms, and relinquishes any role in Gaza’s governance. Hamas has reiterated it will free all hostages if Israel withdraws and ends the war, but has ruled out disarmament.
International Pressure Mounts
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, visiting Jerusalem alongside Saar, urged Israel to “change course” and halt its military campaign. “We are extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation,” he said, while also calling for the release of the hostages.
Talks on allowing injured Gazans access to medical care in the West Bank and East Jerusalem made no progress. Saar cited security concerns, questioning why Denmark would not treat them in Copenhagen instead.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington was in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas. Naim welcomed Trump’s remarks but stopped short of confirming any talks. Hamas has previously offered to release some hostages in exchange for temporary ceasefires, though negotiations mediated by the U.S. and Arab states collapsed in July.
Growing Discontent in Israel
At home, the war is increasingly unpopular. On Saturday night, tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv and other cities alongside families of hostages, demanding the government secure their release and seek an end to the conflict.
“We want to call for change and for peace. To bring them home because the government won’t do it,” said Nimrod Cohen Bar-Eli, 29, who joined the protests in Tel Aviv.
