Riyadh/Gaza:
Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, said on Saturday the group was ready for an “immediate” prisoner exchange as Israel said its war had “entered a new phase” with heavy bombardment of Gaza.
“We are ready to immediately reach a prisoner exchange deal that includes the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for all prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance,” Sinwar said in a statement.
The United Nations warned that thousands more civilians could die as Israel said its forces were still operating inside Gaza, more than 24 hours after entering the Hamas-run territory.
Israel launched the bombing campaign after Hamas fighters attacked the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 people and capturing more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said Israeli strikes had killed 7,703 people, mainly civilians, more than 3,500 of whom were children.
It is the fifth and deadliest conflict in Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew troops and residents from the Palestinian territory in 2005.
Reading Ground fighting in Gaza intensifies after Israel increases bombardment, cuts communications
UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned of “the potentially devastating consequences of large-scale ground operations in Gaza”, saying “thousands more civilians” could die.
The intensified attacks against Hamas provided cover for Israeli ground forces to escalate operations inside Gaza. “Since Friday evening, a combined combat force of armour, combat engineers and infantry has been operating on the ground in the northern Gaza Strip,” the army said late Saturday.
“We have entered a new phase in the war,” Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Saturday. “Last night, the ground shook in Gaza. We attacked above ground and below ground,” he said, pointing to the network of tunnels built by Hamas beneath Gaza.
Hamas’ armed wing said it was ready to release its kidnapped hostages if Israel released all Palestinian prisoners in its custody.
Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said, “The cost of the large number of enemy hostages will be the price we will have to pay by emptying (Israeli) prisons of all Palestinian prisoners.”
He said, “If the enemy wants to close this file of detainees at once, we are ready for it. If he wants to do it step by step, we are ready for that too.”
The Israeli military says some 229 hostages are being held in the Gaza Strip, many of whom are foreigners or dual citizens.
Earlier this week, the brigade said that “about 50” hostages were killed in Israeli air strikes.
Facing growing anger over the fate of the detainees as Israel escalates its war on Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to meet with representatives of hostage relatives who had demanded to know how the government would handle the crisis.
Netanyahu made no commitment to any exchange deal but assured them that Israel would “pursue every option to bring them home”.
Gaza officials said that hundreds of buildings and homes were completely destroyed overnight and thousands were damaged.
Also, Arab Gulf states on Saturday warned Israel against further ground operations in the Gaza Strip, with Saudi Arabia calling the ground incursions “unwarranted” and Oman condemning possible “war crimes.”
Read more UN strongly calls for aid ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
Saudi Arabia “condemns and condemns any ground operations carried out by Israel due to the threat they pose to the lives of Palestinian civilians”, the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It warned of “the danger of continuing these blatant and unjustified violations of international law against the brotherly Palestinian people”, warning of “serious consequences for the stability of the region”.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, formerly known as X, said on Twitter that “Israeli ground tensions will have serious consequences for civilians and devastating humanitarian and economic impacts.”
Oman accused Israel of committing “war crimes” in Gaza and warned against any further ground maneuvers.
“The escalation of Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity,” a Foreign Ministry statement carried by the official Oman News Agency said.
Oman also warned of the destabilizing effects of a large-scale land offensive, while Qatar said “ground tensions” would threaten “the safety of civilians and hostages in Gaza”.
A statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry “completely rejected the indiscriminate bombardment of the Gaza Strip and attempts to forcibly displace its people”.
Qatar’s top diplomat said mediation efforts to free civilian hostages and “end the war” were ongoing.
The United Arab Emirates, which established diplomatic ties with Israel as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, “condemned the ground action by Israel”, a Foreign Ministry statement said. It added that Abu Dhabi “demanded an immediate ceasefire to ensure that civilians and civilian institutions are not targeted”.
“The immediate priority is to end the escalation of military operations and protect civilians.”
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kuwait alleged that “any ground offensive on Gaza… will prove that the Israeli occupation is determined to continue its crimes against the brotherly Palestinian people”.
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the military increase in Gaza as a “violation of international law” and urged an immediate end to hostilities.
