The post Hamas willing to release all hostages at once for permanent ceasefire, Palestinian official tells ToI appeared first on The Times of Israel.

The Israeli military will expand its ground operation in Gaza to occupy 25% of the enclave over the next two to three weeks, a senior Israeli official said in a briefing with reporters on Monday. Why it matters: The Israeli official said the ground operation is part of a "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at forcing Hamas to agree to release more hostages.

At least five hostages could be freed from Hamas’ clutches under new cease-fire negotiations, which come as tens of thousands of protestors flooded Israeli streets demanding their return.

Hamas ceasefire. They warn renewed bombing in Gaza jeopardizes the lives of the 24 remaining captives, who are believed to be alive.

The terrorist group remains committed to an Egypt- and Qatar-backed plan; Jerusalem demands unconditional hostage release and disarmament.The post Hamas rejects Israel’s US-backed ceasefire counter-proposal appeared first on JNS.

Freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young children were killed by Hamas, called on President Trump to end the war and bring the remaining hostages home.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip is expanding to seize “large areas,” the defense minister said, while officials at hospitals inside the Palestinian territory said that Israeli strikes overnight and into Wednesday had killed more than 40 people, nearly a dozen of them children.

Former Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas, who was freed in February, spoke to CBS’ “60 Minutes" about his experiences being held captive by Hamas for over a year.

Israel has proposed an extended truce in Gaza in exchange for the return of about half the remaining hostages, Israeli officials said on Monday, as the military issued new evacuation orders and said "intense operations" were planned in the south of the enclave.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to seize more territory in Gaza in retaliation to Hamas' refusal to release living and deceased hostages.