“Israeli” defense minister threatens to annex parts of Gaza

“Israel's” defence minister, Israel Katz, said Friday he ordered the military to "seize more ground" in Gaza and warned of partial annexation if Hamas does not release captives held in the Strip.

"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," he said in a statement in which he threatened "permanent occupation" of "buffer zones" inside the Gaza Strip.

“As long as Hamas continues its refusal, it will lose more and more land that will be added to Israel,” he continued.