The minister said that after the war, Israeli forces will remain in Gaza's “safe zone”.

Israel’s defense minister said that even after the war, the troops will continue to be in the so-called security zone they have established.

Katz said the areas will provide a “buffer” to protect Israeli communities in any temporary or permanent situation and have increased “a few percent” of the Palestinian territory since the resumption of Israel’s offensive three weeks ago.

He said that despite no warning of “destructive” consequences, Israel will continue its six-week blockade on Hamas’ hostage release to oppress Hamas to release the hostages.

On Wednesday, Médecins Sanans Frontières (MSF) became the latest international organization influenced by the Israeli campaign, saying Gaza “has become a massive grave for Palestinians and the people they aid.”

“We witnessed the destruction and forced displacement of Gaza’s entire population in real time,” said Amande Bazerolle, Emergency Coordinator of Gaza’s charity.

Gaza's Hamas Ministry of Health said more than 1,650 people have been killed since the war resumed on March 18.

Hospital officials said at least 24 Palestinians were killed during an Israeli strike across Gaza on Wednesday.

Most of the people killed were reportedly in the northern city of Gaza.

They include 10 members of the Hassouna family, mainly children and women. One of them is Fatema Hassouna – a young writer and photographer.

The BBC has asked the Israeli military to comment on the strike.

The United Nations said 69% of the territory is now under Israeli military evacuation orders, within a “no walk” area running along the border with Israel and Egypt and the Wadi Gaza Valley in the southern part of Gaza. It is estimated that about 500,000 people have been recently displaced or uprooted, with no safe place.

The IDF said “hundreds of terrorists” were killed during the strike, and the troops had entered several areas in the north and south. It has established a new corridor that takes the southern city of Rafa from neighboring Khan Younis and has designated 30% of Gaza as the “operational security perimeter”.

Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel’s policy is to “firstly put in every effort to free all hostages” and still be held there and “build a bridge to defeat Hamas later.”

“Unlike in the past, the IDF has not evacuated the cleaned and occupied areas,” he said.

“The Israel Defense Force will remain in a safe area as a buffer between enemies [Israeli] Gaza communities with temporary or permanent situations – such as Lebanon and Syria. ”

Hamas insists that Israeli forces must withdraw from Gaza under any permanent ceasefire.

According to Reuters News, the group said on Wednesday: “Any truce lacks a stop to war, evacuate with all efforts, lifting the lockdown and starting reconstruction will be a political trap.”

The Israeli Hostages and Missing Family Forum represents many of the hostage relatives, calling Kaz’s plan “illusion.”

It said: “They promised that the hostages were before everything. But, in reality, Israel chose to seize the territory before the hostages.”

“There is an obvious, practical solution to release all hostages at one stage even at the end of the war.”

Israeli military reserves and veterans have recently signed several open letters calling for the return of hostages to be preferred over fighting Hamas.

Kaz also made it clear that Israel will maintain its blockade on Gaza – it has blocked the entry of all food, medicine and other supplies since March 2.

“Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and stopping such aid is the main pressure to stop Hamas from using it as a demographic tool,” he said.

UN agencies strongly rejected the Israeli government's claims that Gaza has no shortage of aid due to the supply of 25,000 trucks imported during the ceasefire and suggested that the lockdown could violate international humanitarian law.

The UN’s humanitarian partners said tents were no longer available for distribution and acute malnutrition increased, with the number of children receiving supplemental feeding decreased by more than two-thirds in March.

In its statement, MSF said the humanitarian response “has been in a serious struggle under the weight of insecurity and severe supply shortages, leaving fewer options for access to care, if any”.

Doctors Without Borders said that two of its employees were killed in the past two weeks and 15 emergency workers were killed by Israeli forces last month, “a case of complete disregard for the protection of humanitarian and medical personnel by Israeli forces.”

It also says it faces shortages of pain management and chronic diseases, antibiotics and critical surgical materials.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, with about 1,200 people killed and another 251 were taken hostage.

At least 51,025 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to data from the regional health ministry.

Many of the 1.9 million displaced people returned to their home areas during the latest ceasefire, which began on January 19.

The ceasefire saw Hamas release 33 Israeli hostages — eight of which died — in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, a surge in humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas.

Israel blocked supplies from Gaza on March 2 and resumed its offensive two weeks later. It said Hamas refused to accept a proposal to expand the first phase of the ceasefire deal and release more of the 59 hostages it is still holding, with as many as 24 of them considered alive.

Hamas accused Israel of violating the original agreement, under which all the remaining hostages will be handed over in the second phase, and the war will end permanently.

A senior Palestinian official told the BBC on Tuesday that Hamas rejected a new Israeli proposal to demand a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of Israeli hostages and armed groups.

On Wednesday, sources close to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office told Harez newspaper that Israel has not received a formal reply from Hamas.

Meanwhile, the Allied armed group Islamic Jihad also released a new video showing the Israeli-German hostage ROM Braslavski. In a video where he appears to be speaking under coercion, the 21-year-old called on the U.S. and Israeli governments to ensure his release.

German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert said it was painful to see him “marching cruelly in the video.”

He added: “The terrorists must release him and all hostages now. For everyone involved in the talks: there is no more urgent responsibility than they return.”