Netanyahu Says Israel Could Seize Territory in Gaza if Hostages Not Freed

Palestinians walk amid the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive at Al-Shati camp, Gaza City, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk amid the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive at Al-Shati camp, Gaza City, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
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Netanyahu Says Israel Could Seize Territory in Gaza if Hostages Not Freed

Palestinians walk amid the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive at Al-Shati camp, Gaza City, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk amid the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive at Al-Shati camp, Gaza City, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated threats on Wednesday to seize territory in the Gaza strip if Hamas failed to release the remaining hostages it still holds. 

"The more Hamas continues in its refusal to release our hostages, the more powerful the repression we exert will be," Netanyahu told a hearing in parliament, which was occasionally interrupted by shouting from opposition members. 

"This includes seizing territory and it includes other things," he said. 

Earlier, Hamas warned that hostages may be killed if Israel attempts to retrieve them by force and air strikes continue in Gaza.  

The group said in a statement that it was "doing everything possible to keep the occupation’s captives alive, but the random Zionist (Israeli) bombardment is endangering their lives."  

"Every time the occupation attempts to retrieve its captives by force, it ends up bringing them back in coffins," it said. 



EU Report Finds Little Aid Is Getting into Gaza

Humanitarian aid is airdropped by the Royal French Army over the northern part of the Gaza Strip, 08 August 2025. (EPA)
Humanitarian aid is airdropped by the Royal French Army over the northern part of the Gaza Strip, 08 August 2025. (EPA)
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EU Report Finds Little Aid Is Getting into Gaza

Humanitarian aid is airdropped by the Royal French Army over the northern part of the Gaza Strip, 08 August 2025. (EPA)
Humanitarian aid is airdropped by the Royal French Army over the northern part of the Gaza Strip, 08 August 2025. (EPA)

The European Union has concluded that little aid is flowing into Gaza despite an understanding reached between Brussels and Israel last month, according to a report by the 27-nation bloc’s foreign service.

Although roughly 5,000 trucks entered Gaza during the “limited lifting of the blockade by Israel,” there are still “significant operational and bureaucratic constraints” on aid delivery, according to a copy of the report obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.

Since May 19, an average of 36 trucks a day has entered Gaza, laden with food, nutrition supplements, medical supplies and chlorine, but 90% was looted once in Gaza, the report says.

The EU had reached an agreement with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza, but officials have not been able to confirm any improvements for themselves.

Israel has blocked an EU monitoring team from entering Gaza because they were not humanitarian aid providers, said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a European Commission spokesperson, at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.