PM said to propose Israel begin annexing parts of Gaza if Hamas again rejects truce deal

Israel will begin annexing parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas again rejects efforts by mediators to broker a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, according to the Maariv daily, which says Jerusalem will give the negotiations another chance.

The unsourced report says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the proposal while meeting with a small group of ministers, who decided to establish a special entity for administering annexed areas.

A separate report in the Haaretz newspaper says Netanyahu presented the plan as part of efforts to keep Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from pulling his far-right Religious Zionism party out of the government.