Israeli military 'preparing offensive plans' amid efforts to free all captives: Army chief
The Israeli army's chief of staff says the military is "preparing offensive plans" despite continuing efforts to return the remaining captives under the ongoing ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.
Herzi Halevi made the remarks in a post on the military’s account on X on Saturday, hours after Gaza resistance fighters handed three Israeli captives over to the Red Cross in eastern Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, in exchange for 369 Palestinians to be released later.
“We are making immense efforts to bring them back while simultaneously preparing offensive plans,” he said.
Saturday’s release was the sixth since the truce took effect on January 19. It came amid fears last week that the deal was near collapse after Palestinian resistance movement Hamas warned that the release of the Israeli captives could be delayed due to violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli military.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to end the Gaza ceasefire if Hamas did not release the captives by midday Saturday, ordering the military to beef up troops in and around the besieged territory.
US President Donald Trump also issued a so-called ultimatum late Monday, saying if all the Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza were not released by Saturday at noon, he would propose canceling the ceasefire and “let all hell break loose.”
The Gaze ceasefire deal has witnessed numerous Israeli violations that have claimed the lives of hundreds more Palestinians.
The agreement has mandated the phased release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Separately on Saturday, two Palestinians were injured when an Israeli drone targeted a bulldozer that was clearing debris in the Al-Mughraqa area of the central Gaza Strip.
The drone strike injured two people as it targeted a bulldozer working to remove the debris of buildings that were damaged by Israel's onslaught in the area, according to two medical sources.
The deal between Israel and Hamas was reached after 15 months of the regime's genocidal war on the strip, which claimed the lives of at least 48,239 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 111,676 others.
The regime agreed to the ceasefire after falling short of realizing any of its wartime objectives, including freeing the captives, “eliminating” the Gazan resistance, and causing forced displacement of Gaza’s entire population to neighboring Egypt or Jordan.
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