Protesters hold signs and Israeli flags during a demonstration calling for the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants, outside the Israeli Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on March 15, 2025. (Jack Guez / AFP)
Israel announced Saturday that it will continue indirect negotiations with Hamas over the fragile Gaza truce but remains firm on its stance, as airstrikes in northern Gaza killed nine people, including four journalists.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the negotiating team to prepare for further discussions, his office said in a statement following a meeting on the hostage issue with security chiefs. However, talks will proceed only based on the response from mediators regarding the proposal by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, which calls for the immediate release of 11 living hostages and half of the hostages confirmed dead.
There are 58 hostages still held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli military. Netanyahu’s instructions effectively reject Hamas’ offer, made a day earlier, to release one Israeli-American hostage and return the bodies of four others.
Since the cease-fire began on Jan. 19, after 15 months of war, Hamas has released 33 hostages, including eight deceased, while Israel has freed approximately 1,800 Palestinian detainees. However, the truce agreement, designed to progress in phases toward a permanent cease-fire, remains tenuous. The first phase officially expired on March 1, and new indirect talks began Tuesday in Doha, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, represented by Steve Witkoff.
‘Psychological warfare’
On Friday, Hamas offered to release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander and return the bodies of four other Israeli-American captives taken on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Netanyahu’s office rejected the offer, calling it “manipulation and psychological warfare.” The U.S., Israel’s key ally, also dismissed the move. “Hamas is making a very bad bet if it thinks that time is on its side,” a U.S. official said. In Tel Aviv, thousands of protesters gathered Saturday, demanding the government secure the immediate release of all hostages in Gaza. The unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians, according to AFP data based on official figures. The toll includes hostages who were killed or died in captivity among the 251 people initially kidnapped.
Israel responded by vowing to eliminate Hamas and launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza, which has killed at least 48,543 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are deemed reliable by the U.N.. The war has also created a humanitarian disaster.
‘Horrific massacre’
The truce remains fragile, as both sides accuse each other of violating its terms, and the Israeli military continues strikes in Gaza. On Saturday, airstrikes in Beit Lahia (northern Gaza) killed nine people, including four Palestinian journalists, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense, marking the deadliest attack on a single location since Jan. 19. Hamas condemned the strikes as a “horrific massacre”, saying they targeted a group of journalists and humanitarian workers, in blatant violation of the cease-fire agreement.
The Israeli military confirmed two airstrikes in Beit Lahia, claiming the targets were “two terrorists operating a drone” and a vehicle transporting militants sent to recover the drone. Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces regularly carry out strikes in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the four journalists killed included one reporter and three photojournalists, one of whom was a drone operator. The strike targeted a vehicle belonging to the Al-Khair Foundation, where the journalists were preparing reports and documentaries on the organization’s Ramadan aid efforts, according to Tahssine al-Astal, the deputy director of the syndicate.
Two Al-Khair Foundation employees, including the organization’s spokesperson, were also killed, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate accused Israel of the “systematic targeting” of journalists, calling it “a war crime and a flagrant violation of international law, including the Geneva Conventions, which protect journalists during conflicts.” In October 2024, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that more than 140 journalists had been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military since the beginning of the war.
Humanitarian convoy reaches Rmeish, Ain Ibl, Dibil despite obstacles
