The United Nations warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was likely at its worst since the conflict began and that the population was again on the brink of famine.
Israel’s defense minister warned on Wednesday that the war in Gaza would soon escalate with “tremendous force” and an extended humanitarian blockade if Hamas did not quickly release hostages amid stalled cease-fire negotiations.
The blunt and detailed statement by the minister, Israel Katz, came as a growing list of former Israeli security officials accused the government of prolonging the war at the expense of the surviving hostages who remain in Gaza.
At the same time, the United Nations warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was likely at its worst since the conflict began in October 2023, and that the population was once again on the brink of famine.
Mr. Katz said Israeli troops would remain in the territory in Gaza that the military had seized last month after the collapse of a six-week cease-fire. During the truce, Hamas freed about 30 living hostages and returned the bodies of eight others.
He said the Israeli military would use “tremendous force, from the air, land and sea” to destroy Hamas bunkers both above and below ground, and keep up the evacuations of Gazans who again are being forced to leave their homes to escape the strikes. Already, hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents have been displaced.
These measures aim to “bring about the release of all the hostages,” Mr. Katz said, while carving out a path to defeat Hamas later.
