TEL AVIV, March 26. /TASS/. The resumption of hostilities in the Gaza Strip is limited in nature, as Israel remains determined to reach an agreement on the release of hostages, Jewish Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said, emphasizing that his country has no intention to "wait indefinitely" for the radical Palestinian Hamas movement to agree to the proposed ways to settle the situation.
"Alongside the IDF's ongoing activities in Gaza, the scope of which is currently limited, we are permitting the dialogue to reach its limits to achieve an agreement on extending the ceasefire and facilitating the release of the hostages. However, we will not wait indefinitely," Sa'ar said following a meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard in Jerusalem; the Israeli Foreign Ministry released his remarks.
The ministers discussed developments in the region and bilateral relations, with Sa'ar clarifying "the importance of the Israeli victory in the campaign," the Foreign Ministry said. "By insisting on continuing to hold the hostages and refusing to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, Hamas is pushing for a renewal of the war in Gaza. Israel will no longer accept the continued threat to its security and its citizens from the Gaza Strip," Sa'ar said.
On March 18, the Israeli military resumed military operations in Gaza, carrying out intensive strikes on the enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that the move was due to Hamas’s rejection of proposals put forward by mediators and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff. According to the Israeli authorities, the goal of the operation is to ensure the release of all hostages held in Gaza. Hamas, in turn, blamed Israel and the US for the resumption of military activities.