{"id":797,"date":"2025-03-22T00:12:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T00:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=797"},"modified":"2025-03-22T00:12:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T00:12:58","slug":"israel-threatens-permanent-control-of-parts-of-gaza-if-hamas-doesnt-release-hostages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=797","title":{"rendered":"Israel Threatens Permanent Control of Parts of Gaza if Hamas Doesn&#8217;t Release Hostages"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at <strong>Israel<\/strong>\u2019s threat to permanently seize parts of <strong>Gaza<\/strong>, a massive fire at <strong>London\u2019s<\/strong> <strong>Heathrow Airport<\/strong>, and a symbolic victory for the <strong>Sudanese<\/strong> army.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/world-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.            <\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-shortcode-newsletter=\"world_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief newsletter-shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletters-page newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-world_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"World Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-world_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-world_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"world_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\">Sign Up<\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Annexation Threat<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Israel threatened on Friday to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/israel-gaza-hamas-katz-annex-idf-palestinian-witkoff-rcna197434\">permanently seize<\/a> parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas does not release all remaining hostages, marking a major escalation in the conflict just days after airstrikes from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shattered a <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/18\/israel-strikes-gaza-war-break-ceasefire\/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921\">monthslong cease-fire<\/a> with Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza, evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers,\u201d Defense Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/breaking-news\/article-847025\">Israel Katz<\/a> said. \u201cThe more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel.\u201d Katz also warned that Israeli forces would intensify air, land, and sea attacks if the militant group does not cooperate.<\/p>\n<p>Hamas said on Friday that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/21\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hamas-gaza-hostages.html\">truce negotiations<\/a> are ongoing. According to senior Hamas official Husam Badran, the militant group may be willing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/20\/world\/middleeast\/hamas-attack-tel-aviv-israel-gaza.html\">show some flexibility<\/a> in a cease-fire deal\u2014including by releasing more hostages\u2014if doing so would restart talks intended to permanently end the war. Israel, however, remains opposed to any agreement that allows Hamas to remain in control of Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be less inclined to return to the original truce now that he has the backing of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/israel-news\/article-846731\">rejoined<\/a> Netanyahu\u2019s government on Wednesday after Israel renewed attacks on Gaza. Ben-Gvir left the coalition in January over the prime minister\u2019s decision to impose a cease-fire.<\/p>\n<p>But not everyone is happy with Netanyahu\u2019s latest political and wartime maneuvers. Tens of thousands of Israelis held <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/mar\/20\/thousands-protest-in-israel-over-attack-on-democracy-by-netanyahu\">anti-government protests<\/a> this week to criticize the prime minister\u2019s handling of the war as well as an ongoing scandal that has roiled the country in recent weeks. That scandal, dubbed \u201cQatargate,\u201d reached new heights this week when Netanyahu ordered the removal of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/mar\/21\/who-is-ronen-bar-the-recently-sacked-chief-of-israel-shin-bet-security-service\">Ronen Bar<\/a>\u2014the director of Shin Bet, Israel\u2019s domestic intelligence service. Bar would be the first Shin Bet chief to ever be fired.<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cwygkknzn9yo\">said<\/a> that he is dismissing Bar due to a \u201cpersistent loss of professional and personal trust\u201d\u00a0between himself and the Shin Bet chief, stemming in part from the agency\u2019s failure to warn against Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25551448-yqry-tkhqyr-shyrvt-hbytkhvn-hklly-710\/#document\/p1\">internal investigation<\/a> by the agency acknowledged on March 4 that it had failed to protect the country, with Bar saying that had Shin Bet acted differently, it could have potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/03\/05\/nx-s1-5318591\/israel-shin-bet-security-failure-october-7-attack\">prevented the attack<\/a>. Netanyahu said that distrust \u201chas been consolidated during the war, beyond the operational failure of 7 October, and in particular in recent months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But critics are questioning the timing of Netanyahu\u2019s decision\u2014not only because Bar\u2019s dismissal comes more than 17 months after Hamas\u2019s initial assault, but also because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/in-clash-over-pms-right-to-fire-shin-bet-chief-a-deeper-question-about-responsibility-for-oct-7\/\">Shin Bet recently opened an investigation<\/a> into alleged connections between the prime minister\u2019s close aides and the government of Qatar. This includes potential business ties between Doha and former Netanyahu spokesperson Eli Feldstein, who has been charged with leaking classified IDF documents and accused of feeding Israeli journalists pro-Qatar stories. Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara ordered a criminal investigation into Qatargate in February\u2014just weeks before Netanyahu sought to dismiss Bar.<\/p>\n<p>Cabinet members <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/20\/world\/middleeast\/israel-netanyahu-shin-bet-ronen-bar.html\">voted<\/a> unanimously late Thursday to fire Bar, but Israel\u2019s Supreme Court issued an injunction on Friday to freeze his removal until the justices could hear all petitions. Bar did not attend the cabinet vote, but he sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/full-text-in-letter-to-cabinet-ronen-bar-says-his-firing-entirely-tainted-by-conflicts-of-interest\/\">letter<\/a> to the cabinet refuting Netanyahu\u2019s \u201cclaim of supposed distrust\u201d and stating that his dismissal \u201cis entirely tainted by improper considerations and personal and institutional conflicts of interest of the highest order\u201d given the ongoing Qatargate investigation.<\/p>\n<p>The court hearing will take place no later than April 8; the deadline to remove Bar is April 10. Netanyahu\u2019s allies quickly accused the court of overreaching, and Netanyahu has not yet said whether he will uphold the justices\u2019 ruling.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Today\u2019s Most Read<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>What We\u2019re Following<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Travel nightmare. <\/strong>A large fire near London\u2019s Heathrow Airport late Thursday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/03\/21\/nx-s1-5336092\/heathrow-closed-fire-power-london\">disrupted<\/a> at least 1,350 flights at Europe\u2019s busiest flight hub, impacting travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers. Some flights <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AP\/status\/1903148351559963002\">resumed<\/a> on Friday, but authorities expect \u201csignificant disruption over the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease do not travel to the airport unless your airline has advised you to do so,\u201d an <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HeathrowAirport\/status\/1903117685816217744\">airport statement<\/a> said, adding that airlines are rerouting flights to other locations. \u201cAs the busiest airport in Europe, Heathrow uses as much energy as a small city; therefore, getting back to a full and safe operation takes time,\u201d a Heathrow spokesperson added.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities are still investigating the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/britain-london-fire-heathrow-airport-6d63b2f6615e8ff39f2647641bfbc160?user_email=6b04284e4d00370f16d3dac0a626e01bf24d86e4d6995646867da6aa680488d0&amp;utm_medium=Morning_Wire&amp;utm_source=Sailthru_AP&amp;utm_campaign=Morning%20Wire_21%20Mar_2025&amp;utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers\">cause of the fire<\/a>, but British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said officials do not suspect foul play. The blaze occurred at North Hyde electrical substation, roughly 2 miles from the airport, and it took seven hours for the London Fire Brigade to control it. Alongside Heathrow Airport, the resulting power outage affected more than 16,300 homes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A symbolic victory. <\/strong>Sudan\u2019s military <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/21\/world\/africa\/sudan-civil-war-khartoum-battle.html\">announced<\/a> on Friday that it has retaken control of the Republican Palace in the capital city of Khartoum. Overlooking the Nile River, its seizure represents a symbolic victory against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have waged a civil war against the Sudanese army since April 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican Palace was the last heavily guarded, rebel-held site in the capital. Video of the compound shows the palace partly in ruins, but Sudanese officials <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/sudan-khartoum-republican-palace-rsf-war-3790a105d19b8da9ec484d6c48b46a89?user_email=6b04284e4d00370f16d3dac0a626e01bf24d86e4d6995646867da6aa680488d0&amp;utm_medium=Morning_Wire&amp;utm_source=Sailthru_AP&amp;utm_campaign=Morning%20Wire_21%20Mar_2025&amp;utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers\">remain optimistic<\/a>. \u201cToday the flag is raised, the palace is back and the journey continues until victory is complete,\u201d Sudanese Information Minister Khaled al-Aiser wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>Over the course of the nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2024\/10\/25\/sudan-united-nations-genocide-peackeeping-force\/\">two-year war<\/a>, an estimated 150,000 people have been killed and some 12 million others have been displaced.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Opening the purse strings. <\/strong>Germany\u2019s Bundesrat on Friday cleared the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/21\/germany-debt-brake-austerity-rules-confusion\/\">final hurdle<\/a> on a massive spending package that will amend the country\u2019s constitution to relax its debt limits. The legislation creates a $546 billion fund for infrastructure investments and eases borrowing rules to allow Berlin to boost its defense spending commitments.<\/p>\n<p>Germany has vowed to increase military spending in light of Russia\u2019s ongoing war in Ukraine and threats to the continent\u2019s security. \u201cFor far too long, we\u2019ve only done the bare minimum, and it cannot, must not, continue this way,\u201d Berlin Mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/german-upper-house-parliament-expected-clear-huge-spending-package-2025-03-21\/\">Kai Wegner<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>The upper house\u2019s vote also marks a major win for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-the-pivotal-role-of-the-bundesrat\/a-71961369\">coalition talks<\/a>, as the presumed incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, was relying on the bill\u2019s passage to demonstrate support for his policies. But economists warn that for Germany to reap the plan\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/europe\/germany-set-for-trillion-euro-defense-and-infrastructure-splurge-3cce7723\">full benefits<\/a>, Berlin must also make extensive tax, labor market, and bureaucratic reforms.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>What in the World?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>On Monday, Peru declared a state of emergency in its capital, Lima, as violence surged in response to what event?<\/p>\n<p>A. The killing of a popular singer<br \/>B. The overnight doubling of rice prices<br \/>C. Recent child deaths due to water contamination<br \/>D. A new tax on gas purchases<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Odds and Ends<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>During the day on Thursday, New Zealand\u2019s Parliament buildings bustled with its usual suspects, but at night, tour guides donned Victorian garb to unveil the institution\u2019s seedier history. The <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ghost-spooky-tour-zealand-parliament-library-wellington-e54c53bd7c0131efe01c01559381e545\">special event<\/a> regaled visitors with stories of mysterious deaths, creepy hauntings, and even feral cats. At several points, the urban legends appeared to come to life, as specters shrieked down staircases and banging could be heard behind locked doors. \u201cThere was quite a few deaths here that I did not expect to find out about,\u201d one shaken visitor said after finishing the tour.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>And the Answer Is\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A. The killing of a popular singer<\/p>\n<p>The singer\u2019s death coincides with a surge in violence in Latin America, where many voters increasingly favor mass incarceration, FP\u2019s Catherine Osborn <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/21\/trump-el-salvador-deportations-bukele-prisons-venezuela\/\">writes<\/a> in Latin America Brief.<\/p>\n<p>To take the rest of FP\u2019s weekly international news quiz, <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/21\/foreign-policy-news-quiz-houthi-attacks-m23-rebels-congo-hungary-lgbtq\/\">click here<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/alerts\/\">sign up<\/a> to be alerted when a new one is published.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/21\/israel-gaza-hamas-hostages-control-netanyahu-katz-ronen-bar-shin-bet-qatargate\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at Israel\u2019s threat to permanently seize parts of Gaza, a massive fire at London\u2019s Heathrow Airport, and a symbolic victory for the Sudanese army. Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday. Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday. 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