Israel may consider annexing parts of Gaza as a means of pressuring Hamas, according to a statement by an Israeli minister, reviving a proposal that could seriously damage Palestinian hopes for creating an independent state in Israeli-occupied territories. This statement from Zeev Elkin, a member of the government’s National Security Council, comes just one day after Britain announced its intention to recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel does not take measures to provide relief to Gaza civilians and agree to a ceasefire in the war with Hamas.
France, which announced last week that it would recognize a Palestinian state in September, issued a joint statement yesterday, Tuesday, with Saudi Arabia, describing steps for implementing the two-state solution. In the context of ending the war, they emphasized that Hamas must surrender its weapons to the Palestinian Authority and no longer govern the Gaza Strip. This announcement was supported by Egypt, Qatar, and the Arab League.
Israel says that recognizing a Palestinian state amounts to rewarding Hamas for the attack it launched on Israeli territory in October 2023.
Israel’s ultimatum to Hamas
Accusing Hamas of trying to prolong negotiations in order to gain concessions from Israel, Elkin told public television Kan that perhaps an ultimatum should be sent to the Palestinian organization. “The most painful thing for our enemy is to lose territory. A clarification to Hamas that from the moment they play games with us they will lose territory, which they will never recover, will constitute a significant tool of pressure,” he said.
Mediation efforts to achieve an agreement that would ensure a 60-day ceasefire and free the remaining hostages reached a deadlock last week, with both sides blaming each other for this failure.
Israel faces mounting international pressure over the situation in Gaza, where international and non-governmental organizations warn that the worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding. Today, Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is affiliated with Hamas, announced seven more deaths linked to hunger. Among the victims was a two-year-old girl who also suffered from fluid accumulation in the brain. “Mecca, my little daughter, died from malnutrition and lack of medicine,” said Salah al-Gharabli, the child’s father, speaking by phone to Reuters from Deir Al Baha. “The doctors said we had to feed her with a specific type of milk… but there is no milk. She starved. We were helpless,” he added.
Relatives of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza demanded that a Palestinian state not be recognized before their loved ones return. “Such recognition is not a step toward peace but a clear violation of international law and a dangerous political and moral failure that justifies horrific war crimes,” stated the Hostage Families Forum.
Netanyahu: Britain’s decision rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism
It should be noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that Britain’s decision “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism.” Israeli officials made similar comments last week following France’s announcement.
Two Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests to comment on the demand for the organization to surrender its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, which currently exercises limited control in the occupied West Bank. In the past, Hamas has rejected calls for its disarmament, while Israel has ruled out allowing the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza.
Netanyahu said this month that he wants peace with the Palestinians but described some future independent state of theirs as a “potential platform” for Israel’s destruction. With this reasoning, the security sector must remain in Israeli hands. The country’s cabinet includes far-right politicians who openly demand the annexation of all Palestinian territories.
