{"id":16633,"date":"2025-03-08T21:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T19:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=16633"},"modified":"2025-03-08T21:00:16","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T19:00:16","slug":"israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Remains Determined to Bring the Hostages Home, by Diplomacy or Fighting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel continues to maintain high security readiness in Gaza while evaluating all available options. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal<\/a>, a plan has been formulated that includes a series of measures that could lead to intensified warfare if negotiations with Hamas fail.<\/p>\n

The measures outlined in the plan include halting humanitarian aid, cutting off electricity and water, and ultimately escalating military operations\u2014potentially including intensified airstrikes and a renewed ground incursion into the Strip.<\/p>\n

\"\"
IDF preparations for combat in Gaza | Photo: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Postponement of Tree-Planting Event: A Sign of Tensions in the South?
\n<\/strong>On Saturday night, the IDF spokesperson announced that, following a security assessment, a planned tree-planting event in the “Sword of Iron Forest<\/a> in the Gaza envelope region would be postponed. The announcement clarified that there were no changes to security guidelines for civilians, but the decision has raised questions about security preparedness in the south.<\/p>\n

Defense officials explain that this is merely a cautious and cautionary step, but some interpret it as a signal of IDF preparations for a possible recommencement of fighting in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Burnt Be\u2019eri Forest | Photo: Yaniv Nadav\/Flash90<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trump Administration Stands with Israel: “Determination to Eliminate Hamas”
\n<\/strong>Former senior US Pentagon official Michael Makovsky was quoted in The Wall Street Journal, as stating:<\/p>\n

“There is determination to return and eliminate Hamas, no matter what happens. I expect Israel to act with greater strength and intensity.”<\/p>\n

The report emphasized that in the event of escalation, Israel may act in phases\u2014starting with airstrikes and progressing to targeted ground raids, with the ultimate goal of fully resuming combat if necessary.<\/p>\n

\"\"
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Netanyahu | Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Higher Preparedness Than the Previous Gaza Operation
\n<\/strong>According to the American report, Israel is now in a better position to enter Gaza than at the start of the war. Ammunition stockpiles have been replenished, U.S. pressure has eased, and the IDF is has less need to maintain forces along the northern border.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Hamas\u2019s infrastructure has suffered significant damage, and estimates suggest that around 20,000 terrorists have been eliminated during the fighting, including senior commanders.<\/p>\n

Israel: Focused on Hostage Recovery and Southern Border Security
\n<\/strong>Meanwhile, Israel continues diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza. Negotiations with Hamas focus on ensuring their return while also demanding the disarmament of the terrorist organization.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Prayers for the return of Hamas-held hostages at the Western Wall. Archive | Photo: Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hamas, for its part, insists on a complete end to the war, but Israel remains firm, maintaining military and diplomatic pressure.<\/p>\n

Israeli defense officials stress that Israel does not seek escalation for its own sake but will employ all necessary measures to protect its citizens and bring the hostages home. A senior Israeli security official told The Wall Street Journal:<\/p>\n

“Israel is keeping all options on the table but still prefers a diplomatic solution if possible.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following American reports on plans for unprecedented military escalation in Gaza, Israeli defense officials emphasize that Israel is not seeking escalation for its own sake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":10569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,8,6],"tags":[2860,1476,2791,2337,1475,1480,1743,1683],"class_list":["post-16633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-idf","category-politics","category-security","tag-ceasefire-agreement","tag-gaza","tag-geopolitics","tag-hostage-deal","tag-idf","tag-israel","tag-swords-of-iron","tag-us-israel"],"yoast_head":"\nIsrael Remains Determined to Bring the Hostages Home, by Diplomacy or Fighting - REGA news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel Remains Determined to Bring the Hostages Home, by Diplomacy or Fighting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following American reports on plans for unprecedented military escalation in Gaza, Israeli defense officials emphasize that Israel is not seeking escalation for its own sake.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"REGA news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-08T19:00:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1d365cba-6541-41d0-8e34-0ef6caac29ba_0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"906\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"By Menachem Marton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"By Menachem Marton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"By Menachem Marton\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/85289d9583f8c0d96ade025fd71ebd5a\"},\"headline\":\"Israel Remains Determined to Bring the Hostages Home, by Diplomacy or Fighting\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-08T19:00:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/\"},\"wordCount\":532,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1d365cba-6541-41d0-8e34-0ef6caac29ba_0.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"ceasefire agreement\",\"Gaza\",\"geopolitics\",\"Hostage Deal.\",\"IDF\",\"Israel\",\"Swords of Iron\",\"US-Israel\"],\"articleSection\":[\"IDF\",\"POLITICS\",\"SECURITY\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/israel-remains-determined-to-bring-the-hostages-home-by-diplomacy-or-fighting\/\",\"name\":\"Israel Remains Determined to Bring the Hostages Home, by Diplomacy or Fighting - 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