'It'll push us...': Israel warns against recognising Palestine as IDF intensifies ops in Gaza

Amid Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Gaza takeover plan, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday (Sep 7) said that the ongoing war could end if Hamas releases all the hostages and gives up arms. The statement came a day after Hamas reiterated its long-standing position that it would free all hostages if Israel agreed to an end to the war. Saar was speaking during a press conference with his Danish counterpart in Jerusalem. Warning France, Canada and other nations for their decision to recognise Palestine in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, he said that it could harm the negotiations. Meanwhile, Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israel was 'deepening' its operation in and around Gaza City.

"We will be more than happy to reach this objective with political means," Saar said in a press conference in Jerusalem. On recognition of Palestinian statehood by countries including France, Saar said, "It will push Israel also to have unilateral decisions, and that would be a grave mistake… Recognition of a State of Palestine will not bring us closer to peace or security but will destabilise the region.” Reiterating Israel's position on the matter, he repeated that the recognition 'will be a present for Hamas.’ “You cannot disconnect statehood from peace, because if you do that, it will make it even harder to reach peace,” Saar pressed. In response, senior Hamas official Basem Naim said it would not lay down its arms but would release all of the hostages if Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu's Gaza offensive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces are intensifying their operations both on the outskirts and within the city of Gaza. He said that they are targeting and eliminating Hamas operatives involved in the October 7 massacre, including one individual who had called his parents to boast about killing 10 Israelis. Netanyahu added that the family of this particular militant has now been informed of his elimination. Amid the UN-declared famine in Gaza, Israeli troops have intensified bombings and operations in the area. This was mainly after the Israeli cabinet approved Netanyahu's Gaza takeover plan. However, Netanyahu has stressed that Israel had “established another humanitarian zone to allow the civilian population in Gaza to move to a safe area.” Meanwhile, the Israeli army issued a fresh evacuation order on Sunday for a residential tower in Gaza City ahead of a planned bombing of the high-rise building. A day earlier, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz shared a video of its army destroying a high-rise block in Gaza City. Additionally, the Israeli military said that it “destroyed an underground route hundreds of meters long” in the northern Gaza Strip that was used by Hamas “to coordinate terrorist operations against our forces.”