Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar speaks on the day of an EU-Israel Association Council with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium, February 24, 2025.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar defended the Jewish state’s renewed airstrikes on Hamas targets based in Gaza, saying the cease-fire talks with the Palestinian terrorist group would have “remained stuck” without military force.
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet conducted strikes overnight, effectively breaking the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said strikes were intended to “achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon,” including the return of all Israeli hostages who have been captive in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Hamas refused to release its remaining 59 hostages, both living and dead, until Israel made further concessions, including lifting the blockade of humanitarian aid to Palestinians, among other demands. Although it places the blame entirely on Israel, the terror group rejected U.S. proposals to end the war.
“If we had continued waiting,” Sa’ar said on Tuesday, “the situation would have remained at a standstill.”
The foreign minister noted Hamas at the immediate start of the conflict wouldn’t agree to a deal unless military pressure was applied. The war has lasted for 17 months, and fighting may intensify now that the cease-fire is broken.
The six-week first phase of the cease-fire initially agreed upon by both parties ended March 1, but negotiations for the next phase remained in limbo as Israel and the U.S. pressured Hamas to release the remaining hostages and the terrorist group refused to accept any deals that would extend the cease-fire.
President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff recently proposed that the cease-fire extend through Ramadan and Passover, which ends April 20, in exchange for the release of five living and ten dead hostages. Israel accepted the offer, but Hamas counter-offered that it would release the last living Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander and the bodies of four deceased Israeli-Americans.
Israel and the U.S. both rejected that offer, with Netanyahu accusing Hamas of “manipulation and psychological warfare” by refusing to accept Witkoff’s proposal.
“In the past two and a half weeks, we have reached a deadlock — there is neither airstrikes nor the return of hostages, and this is something Israel cannot accept,” Sa’ar said, adding Israel remains committed to “achieving the war’s objectives,” which is to eradicate Hamas from the Palestinian territory.
Likewise, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the IDF’s strikes will only “intensify” if Hamas fails to release all hostages soon. Of the 59 remaining, two dozen are believed to be alive.
While Israel is targeting Hamas militants, public outcry broke out after the renewed airstrikes carried a reported death toll of more than 400 people. The Gazan health ministry provided the figures without distinguishing between civilians and terrorists as usual.
Despite receiving condemnation from Iran, Ireland, and other critical nations, Israel has a strong ally in the U.S. led by the Trump administration. The president has repeatedly warned “all hell will break loose” for Hamas if it doesn’t release the hostages and seriously pursue peace. The White House approved of the latest strikes before they were carried out overnight.
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David Zimmermann is a news writer for National Review. Originally from New Jersey, he is a graduate of Grove City College and currently writes from Washington, D.C. His writing has appeared in the Washington Examiner, the Western Journal, Upward News, and the College Fix. @dezward01