Israel Hamas Ceasefire Deal | Israel Warns Hamas Of 'Intense' Attacks If Hostages Not Released

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that Israel will start urging Palestinians to evacuate from Gaza combat zones soon, as he warned that Israel was preparing to step up its new offensive. In a statement, Katz said that if hostages held in Gaza are not freed and Hamas expelled from Gaza, "Israel will act with an intensity that you have not seen." Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had returned to what remained of their homes and Israeli forces had pulled back to a buffer zone during the ceasefire in Gaza, which began in late January. Katz's announcement came a day after Israel broke the ceasefire with Hamas by carrying out a wave of heavy strikes that killed more than 400 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, nearly two-thirds of them women and children, the Health Ministry said. Its records do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.