Israel warns Hamas against Gaza’s partial annexation

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned of partial annexation of Gaza if Hamas does not release hostages held in the Palestinian territory, The Guardian writes.

“I ordered [the army] to seize more territory in Gaza… The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel,” Katz said in a statement in which he threatened “permanent occupation” of “buffer zones” inside the Gaza Strip.