'Greatest fear realised': Families of Israeli hostages slam Netanyahu as Gaza strikes put captives 'at grave risk'

18 March 2025, 10:12 | Updated: 18 March 2025, 10:30

The families of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza say their "greatest fears have been realised" and have slammed the government as they say the latest strikes have put the captives "at grave risk".

Last night, Israel launched the largest wave of strikes on Gaza since its ceasefire agreement with Hamas, killing and injuring at least 330 while promising "increasing military force".

It was the largest attack since the deal was agreed between the two in January, with Israel saying they had "no choice" but to launch strikes.

The pressure group have criticised the move and say they are now heading to Jerusalem and call on the people of Israel "to stand with them".

They say military pressure could "further endanger their lives".

59 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with up to 24 believed to be alive.

The group said: "Following the decision to resume military operations, which places 59 hostages at grave risk, their families are now making their way to Jerusalem and calling on the people of Israel to stand with them.

"There is nothing more urgent than this!

"With each passing day, the danger to the hostages grows.

"Military pressure could further endanger their lives and complicate efforts to bring them home safely."

'Horrified, furious and scared'

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also issued a statement following strikes, accusing the government of “choosing to give up the lives of the hostages", reports the Times of Israel.

“The greatest fear of the families, of the hostages and of Israeli citizens has been realized,” it says. “We are horrified, furious and scared by the intentional shattering of the process of returning our loved ones from the terrible Hamas captivity.”

“The return to fighting before the return of the last hostage will cost us the 59 hostages who are still in Gaza and who can still be saved and returned,” the forum says, adding that a statement saying the move is aimed at returning the hostages is “complete misdirection” since “military pressure endangers hostages and soldiers.”

At least 330 people have been reported killed so far - including children, as the airstrikes hit homes and tents housing displaced people across the Gaza Strip.

Israel's defence minister said the country has "resumed fighting" in Gaza and is vowing to press ahead until all remaining hostages are released, indicating an end to the ceasefire in Gaza.

In a brief statement, Israel Katz said "The gates of hell will open in Gaza" if hostages are not released, echoing language used by US President Donald Trump.

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"We will not stop fighting until all of our hostages are home and we have achieved all of the war goals," he said.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office added: "From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force."

It says the strikes have been launched as Hamas "repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from the US presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators".

The White House said it was informed the strikes would take place on Monday.

The attacks reportedly killed the highest-ranking Hamas security official left in Gaza.

Mahmoud Abu Wafah, the Gazan interior minister, was in charge of the Hamas police force.

A Hamas spokesperson has told the Reuters news agency that the strikes mean Israel is unilaterally ending the ceasefire in Gaza that began on January 19.

Taher Nunu, a Hamas official, criticised the Israeli attacks.

"The international community faces a moral test: either it allows the return of the crimes committed by the occupation army or it enforces a commitment to ending the aggression and war against innocent people in Gaza," he said.

In Gaza, explosions could be heard at various locations and ambulances were arriving at Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza.

The strikes come after nearly two months of a ceasefire to pause the 17-month long war where dozens of hostages were released for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire hit a roadblock when Israel refused to enter the agreed-upon second phase of the truce, and instead proposed an extension of the first phase.

Israel has since blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and cut off the electricity supply that its population of nearly 2 million relies on for its water supply.

As a result, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, for the first time, that Israel is breaking international law in Gaza, in a marked hardening of the UK's position.

“This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security. But we find the lack of aid — it’s now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza — unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying," Lammy said in the House of Commons.

“We would urge Israel to get back to the amount of trucks we were seeing — way beyond 600 — so Palestinians can get the necessary humanitarian support that they need at this time," he added.

The groups have been involved in discussions since the first phase of the ceasefire ended, with Israel accepting US proposals, and Hamas rejecting them in favour of the original ceasefire deal.

On Saturday, Hamas said it would release an American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel implements the existing ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, calling it an "exceptional deal" aimed at getting the truce back on track.

Israel would also need to stop barring the entry of humanitarian aid and withdraw from a strategic corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt.

The US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called the demands ‘entirely impractical’. A statement from his office read “Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not.”

“Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes,” it added.

Meanwhile, Hamas is accusing Israeli PM Netanyahu of stalling the talks for fear of his fragile government disintegrating once the war ends.

At least 46,584 Palestinian people have been killed and 109,731 injured since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in the wake of the October 7 attacks in 2023.

The vast majority of those killed in Israel’s bombardments have been women and children.