GAZA CITY (BN24) — Israel escalated its military campaign in Gaza on Monday, vowing a wave of intensified airstrikes described as a “mighty hurricane,” aimed at forcing Hamas to release all remaining hostages and agree to a full surrender. The warning comes as the militant group confirmed it is reviewing a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal delivered over the weekend.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a blunt ultimatum via social media, warning Hamas fighters in Gaza and abroad that the enclave faces total destruction unless hostages are freed and weapons laid down. “This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad,” Katz wrote on X. “Release the hostages and lay down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.”
Residents of Gaza City reported heavy bombardments across multiple districts as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck what they described as Hamas targets. Among the sites hit was a 12-story residential building sheltering displaced families. The IDF said the building had been used by Hamas operatives to coordinate attacks against Israeli troops, though local officials claimed civilians were among the dead.
The sharp escalation came just hours after six people, including a Spanish citizen, were killed in a shooting attack at a Jerusalem bus stop. While Hamas did not claim responsibility, the group praised the attackers, fueling further tensions.
Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed it is assessing the latest ceasefire proposal, which calls for the release of all 48 remaining hostages—both living and deceased—on the first day of a negotiated pause in hostilities. According to senior Israeli officials, the offer would initiate broader talks aimed at ending the nearly two-year conflict. However, Hamas has maintained that any agreement must include a definitive end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza territory.
Israel relaunched a concentrated assault on Gaza City last month, targeting what it claims are the remaining strongholds of Hamas leadership. Despite widespread destruction, hundreds of thousands of civilians have returned to live among the ruins of neighborhoods flattened during previous phases of the war.
On Monday alone, at least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes and ground operations, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Among the dead was journalist Osama Balousha, bringing the reported number of journalists killed since the conflict began to nearly 250—a figure that, if verified, would make it the deadliest war for members of the press in modern history. Israel has denied targeting journalists and continues to bar foreign media from entering Gaza.
The ongoing war traces back to a surprise Hamas-led assault on southern Israel in 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage. While many were later released during temporary ceasefires in late 2023 and early 2025, dozens remain in captivity, and their fate has become a key sticking point in ceasefire negotiations.
Gaza remains in a humanitarian crisis. Palestinian health officials estimate more than 64,000 people have died since the war began. Shortages of food and medicine have worsened, with nearly 400 people—many of them children—reportedly dying from starvation and malnutrition in recent months. Israeli officials have disputed those figures, claiming they are exaggerated for propaganda purposes.
Efforts by international mediators, including the United States and Egypt, have repeatedly failed to bridge the gap between Israel’s insistence on unconditional surrender by Hamas and the group’s demand for a future Palestinian state. As talks stall and military operations expand, the civilian toll continues to mount in what has become one of the deadliest conflicts in the region’s recent history.
