Israeli airstrikes have hit approximately 40 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Israeli military reported on Friday, following the rejection of an Israeli ceasefire offer by Hamas. The militant group dismissed the offer, citing its failure to meet Hamas’ demand for a complete end to the ongoing conflict.
The latest escalation comes after Israel ended a two-month truce last month and resumed its military offensive. Since then, Israeli forces have advanced into Gaza from both the north and south, capturing nearly a third of the enclave in an effort to force Hamas into negotiations regarding hostages and disarmament.
Israeli troops are reported to be operating in the Shabura and Tel Al-Sultan areas near Rafah in the south, as well as in northern Gaza, where they have secured large swathes of land east of Gaza City.
Efforts to renew the January ceasefire deal, brokered by Egyptian mediators, have stalled. The agreement collapsed when Israel resumed airstrikes and deployed ground troops, and there has been little progress in resolving the underlying issues between the two sides.
Hamas’ Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, stated on Thursday that the group was willing to swap all remaining 59 hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, in exchange for a ceasefire and Gaza’s reconstruction. However, Al-Hayya rejected the Israeli offer, which included the disarmament of Hamas, calling the terms “impossible.”
Israel has not formally responded to Al-Hayya’s remarks, but Israeli ministers have reiterated that Hamas must be fully disarmed and excluded from any future governance of Gaza. The Israeli ceasefire proposal, conveyed through Egyptian mediators, included discussions for a final settlement but no binding commitments.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz further emphasized this week that Israeli troops would remain stationed in a buffer zone deep inside Gaza, which currently divides the enclave, even following any potential ceasefire agreement.