Israel Banks on Military Pressure to Free Remaining Gaza Hostages

It Will Keep Striking Hamas Targets, Official Says Amid Calls for Ceasefire and Aid Access

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JERUSALEM - Israel will keep striking Hamas targets in Gaza to ensure the return of hostages, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 22, as European countries called for a ceasefire and access for aid supplies.

Mr. Ophir Falk, Mr. Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser, said military pressure pushed Hamas to accept the first truce in November 2023, in which some 80 hostages were returned. He said this was the surest way to force the release of the remaining 59 hostages.

"The only reason they went back to the negotiating table was military pressure, and that is what we are doing right now," he told reporters.

After weeks of relative calm in Gaza following a ceasefire deal reached in January, attempts to agree to an extension of the halt in fighting stalled and Israel resumed its air strikes and deployed ground troops in the strip.