Many Israelis feel that freeing the hostages cannot happen if the government refuses to come to terms with Hamas and pursues its policy of trying to eliminate the group militarily.
Many Israelis feel that freeing the hostages cannot happen if the government refuses to come to terms with Hamas and pursues its policy of trying to eliminate the group militarily.
Vladislav Victorson, second from left, and Anya Bernstein, second from right, at a hearing in Tel Aviv last month. They have been accused of crimes including maintaining contact with a foreign agent.
The announcement appeared to stop short of saying explicitly that Israel would take full control of the Gaza Strip, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was his intention earlier.
The Israeli military says it controls about 75 percent of Gaza. The coastal strip stretching from Gaza City in the north of the enclave to Khan Younis in the south is the main area that is outside Israeli control.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with a group of senior ministers on Thursday as the families of the hostages warn that moving into new areas could endanger the captives.
The apparent shift in tone comes as cease-fire negotiations have hit a wall and pressure is mounting on Israel over the hunger crisis in Gaza. But Israel and Hamas remain far apart on the terms of any deal.
Bezalel Smotrich described Gaza as an “inseparable part” of Israel, even as the Netherlands announced a ban on him and another hard line Israeli minister.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, in the Parliament in Jerusalem last month. He said Tuesday that Israel was “closer than ever” to rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Protesters gathered in May at the Shaar Hanegev junction near the Gaza border, holding photos both of Israeli hostages and of children killed in strikes in the enclave.
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