As the Gaza food crisis continues, Israel launches a new offensive to release Hamas to free hostages

The Israeli military is Gaza Strip The Defense Secretary said on Saturday that the remaining hostages were released to Hamas.

Defense Minister Katz said Operation Gideon Chariot began and was led by the Israeli army.

“The heroism of the Israel Defense Forces soldiers, the unity of the people and the determination of the political echelon increased the chances of hostages returning – just like that, now,” he said.

The operation was the day after a strong strike that caused hundreds of people across the territory.

IDF spokesman Colonel Avichai Adraee said in a videotape in the Gaza Strip that the troops “are expanding and increasing the bombing and pressure on Hamas throughout the strip – from the north to the south, above and below, even outside the strip, even outside the ground.”

The army said it will not stop until the hostages return and Hamas is demolished.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows Elevated pressure on Hamas earlier this week A militant group that ruled Gaza for nearly two decades.

More than 150 people have died in the Israeli strike in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which runs by Hamas. It said more than 3,000 people have been killed since Israel broke the January ceasefire on March 18.

The humanitarian crisis continues

When US President Trump summed up his journey, the action was also The Middle East has not visited Israel.

People hope Trump's visit to the region can increase the chances of a ceasefire agreement or restore humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has blocked for nearly three months.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Netanyahu by phone on Saturday. Spokesman Tammy Bruce said they discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and worked together to ensure the release of all hostages.

On Friday, Mr. Trump responded to a warning call that people were hungry on besieged Palestinian territory.

“We are looking at Gaza. We will be taken care of. A lot of people are hungry,” the president told reporters.

Israel imposed a blockade in Gaza for more than two months, leading UN agencies and other humanitarian groups to warn of rapid reductions in fuel, food and medicines in the Palestinian territory, about 2.4 million people before the war.

Food security experts say Gaza will fall into famine without a lockdown.

The Israeli government has repeatedly denied that Gaza is facing hunger and said the blockade is to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages held in the October 7 attack.

According to the World Food Program, at least 14,000 children in Gaza are undernourished.

One of the children was Najwa Hajaj and they had to be discharged from the hospital because it ran out of food and medicine. Her mother said the 6-year-old girl weighed just 13 pounds, the average weight of a 3-month-old baby.

“She's dying and I'm doing nothing,” her father, Hussain Hajaj, told CBS News. “I can hardly feed her, I don't know what to do.”

Ongoing talks in Doha

Meanwhile, a ceasefire was conducted in Doha during a war between Israel and Hamas. After talks between Qatar and Mr. Trump last week, U.S. and Qatar mediators proposed a new push to reach a deal, a source with knowledge that confirmed the talks to CBS News.

A source told CBS News that the Hamas delegation is currently holding a critical meeting with the foreign minister of Katari and representing a delegation on Egyptian intelligence on the prisoner exchange negotiations. Israeli Defense Minister Katz confirmed that the Israeli delegation is also attending the talks.

CBS News confirmed that U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff was actively working on Saturday to try to put together the ceasefire mechanisms to free more hostages. Witkoff helped trade with Hamas to release Israeli-American Hostage Edan Alexanderjust a few days before Trump’s week-long trip to the area.

Kathari Prime Minister Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani told Fox News that his administration helped convince Hamas to implement the release, which would have been the first step towards a full hostage deal. However, the Prime Minister said the next day the massacre occurred at a hospital in Gaza, which undermined the efforts.

Mediators from Egypt and Qatar, along with our support, again proposed a new push to see if a ceasefire can be reached to free the rest of the hostages and end the Israeli lockdown within three months in Gaza.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 people. Israel's retaliatory offensive has Killed more than 53,000 PalestiniansAccording to the Gaza Ministry of Health, many of them are women and children, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Margaret Brennan contributed to the report.