Israel vows strikes on Gaza to force Hamas to accept surrender demand

8/9/2025 19:10

Israel said it would ramp up airstrikes on Gaza on Monday in a "mighty hurricane", to serve as a last warning to Hamas that it will destroy the enclave unless fighters accept a demand from U.S. President Donald Trump to free all hostages and surrender.



Residents said Israeli forces bombed Gaza City from the air and blew up armoured vehicles in its streets. Hamas said it was studying the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal, delivered on Sunday with a warning from Trump's that it was the militant group's "last chance".



"A mighty hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the terror towers will shake," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.



"This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons - or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated," he wrote.



Katz's post appeared before reports of shooting at a bus stop in Jerusalem that killed five people. Hamas praised the attackers.