Israel Threatens Hamas With Total Destruction After Trump’s Ultimatum
Israel has warned Hamas to surrender or face total annihilation, following United States President Donald Trump’s call for the militant group to release hostages in Gaza.
The warning came on Monday after gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Israel-annexed East Jerusalem, killing five people in one of the deadliest attacks since the war began.
Israel’s emergency service confirmed the deaths, adding that seven others were critically injured. Police said the two gunmen were also killed.
In Gaza City, the civil defence agency reported that 10 people were killed overnight in Israeli strikes, after 48 others died across the territory on Sunday.
AFP noted that media restrictions and access difficulties make it impossible to independently verify the figures.
“This is a final warning to the Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and put down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated,” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared on X.
He further wrote that “today, a massive hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City,” adding that the Israeli military was preparing to expand operations.
The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people in Israel, has led to massive devastation. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,522 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures considered reliable by the United Nations.
Amid the intensifying conflict, bereaved father Issa Suleiman in Gaza City carried the body of his one-year-old son. “We were sleeping in the tent with my three children and my wife,” he said. “Five of my neighbours were killed and several seriously injured, including my wife and mother.”
Hamas, reacting to Trump’s Sunday ultimatum, said it was ready for immediate talks. “The Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning,” Trump wrote on social media.
Hamas countered that it was ready to negotiate a ceasefire deal in exchange for a declaration ending the war, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, and an independent Palestinian committee to administer Gaza.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the war as “genocide,” drawing a furious response from Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who accused Madrid of leading an “antisemitic campaign.” Spain dismissed the allegation as “false and slanderous.”
In Geneva, UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was “horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric by senior Israeli officials.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reacting to the Jerusalem shooting, said: “Let it be clear: these murders strengthen our determination to fight terrorism.”
The Israeli military says 47 hostages remain in Gaza, 25 of them believed to be dead. Hamas last month accepted a ceasefire proposal involving a 60-day truce and staggered hostage releases, but Israel insists on the release of all hostages at once, alongside the group’s disarmament and surrender of Gaza.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
