Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, April 13, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Katz: IDF will intensify Gaza ops if Hamas refuses ‘to return to framework of a hostage release’
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Defense Minister Israel Katz is seen in the Morag Corridor area of the southern Gaza Strip, between Rafah and Khan Younis, April 9, 2025. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Defense Minister Israel Katz again warns Hamas that if it refuses to agree to a hostage deal, the IDF’s offensive in Gaza will intensify.
“Hundreds of thousands of [Palestinian] residents have already evacuated and tens of percent of Gaza’s territory has become part of Israel’s security areas,” Katz says in a statement, referring to the IDF’s buffer zone on the Gaza border.
“The main goal is to exert heavy pressure on Hamas for it to return to the framework of a hostage release. As long as Hamas persists in its refusal, the IDF activity will intensify,” he adds.
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