Israel announced Monday, September 8, it would intensify airstrikes on Gaza in what it described as a “mighty hurricane,” warning Hamas to release all hostages and surrender or face complete destruction of the enclave.
Residents reported heavy bombardments across Gaza City, including the detonation of decommissioned armored vehicles in residential streets. Hamas confirmed it was reviewing the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal, delivered Sunday alongside President Donald Trump’s warning that it was the group’s “last chance.”
“A mighty hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the terror towers will shake,” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X. “This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.”
Shortly after Katz’s remarks, six people — including a Spanish national — were killed in a shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop. Hamas praised the attackers.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck a 12-story residential block in central Gaza City where dozens of displaced families had been sheltering. The military said Hamas militants had been operating near the building, using it to plan attacks against Israeli troops.
According to a senior Israeli official, the latest U.S. proposal calls for Hamas to release all 48 remaining living and dead hostages on the first day of a ceasefire, during which negotiations on ending the war would take place. Hamas said it was committed to freeing hostages but insisted this must be tied to a clear announcement of an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israel launched a fresh assault on Gaza City last month. Hundreds of thousands of residents have returned to live among ruins left by the war’s fiercest battles nearly two years ago.
On Monday, Israeli strikes and ground operations killed at least 40 Palestinians, according to medics. Among them was journalist Osama Balousha, bringing the total number of journalists killed during the conflict to nearly 250 — the deadliest war for media workers in modern history, Palestinian authorities said. Israel has barred foreign reporters from entering Gaza and denies deliberately targeting journalists.
The Hamas-led assault that sparked the war began in 2023, when fighters attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 hostages. While most were released during temporary ceasefires in late 2023 and early 2025, dozens remain in captivity.
The war has devastated Gaza. Health officials say more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed. Severe shortages of food and medicine have left nearly 400 people, many of them children, dead from malnutrition and starvation in recent months. Israel disputes the figures, saying hunger deaths are exaggerated.
Despite repeated diplomatic efforts, negotiations have repeatedly broken down over Israel’s demand that Hamas release all hostages and surrender. Hamas insists it will not lay down arms until Palestinians secure an independent state.
The post Israel vows ‘hurricane’ of strikes on Gaza to force Hamas to accept surrender demand appeared first on 36ng.
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