The dramatic situation currently unfolding in the Gaza Strip largely stems from the attack launched by Hamas against southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
This unprecedented offensive resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 Israeli civilians and the kidnapping of 251 individuals, triggering a massive military response from the State of Israel.
By choosing the path of armed violence, Hamas provoked an escalation whose primary victims have been Palestinian civilians.
Refusing to lay down its arms, release the remaining hostages, or accept political solutions to end the crisis, the Islamist terrorist group is not only confronting Israel but also endangering the very population it claims to represent, turning Gaza into a battlefield.
On Thursday, April 17, 2025, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas officially rejected an Israeli-proposed truce in Gaza, which was conveyed through Egyptian mediation. Hamas is demanding a comprehensive agreement that would definitively end the conflict.
“Partial agreements are being used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government as a cover to serve their political goals. We will not take part in this logic,” said Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’s negotiating team.
The Israeli proposal included a truce of at least 45 days, the phased release of 10 Israeli hostages, the release of 1,231 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, and the facilitated entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
However, in a written response sent to Egypt and Qatar, Hamas demanded a comprehensive deal that includes a total ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the beginning of reconstruction in the territory, and a large-scale prisoner exchange all at once.
The Israeli government, which designates Hamas as a terrorist organization, an assessment shared by the United States and the European Union, continues to reaffirm its objective of destroying the group, disarming its fighters, and expelling them from Gaza.
In response to Hamas’s rejection, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for intensified military operations.
Additionally, the Israeli military announced that it has converted 30% of Gaza’s territory into a buffer zone, now off-limits to the civilian population.