War: We’ll seize more of Gaza if Hamas keeps refusing to free hostages – Israel

Israel on Tuesday said it would take more territory in Gaza and fight until Hamas is wiped out if the Palestinian militant group keeps refusing to free remaining hostages.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated this on Tuesday as mediators continued efforts to salvage the ceasefire deal shattered by Israel's renewal of air and ground war on March 18.

“If Hamas continues with its intransigence, it will pay heavy prices that get higher and higher in the taking of territory (by Israel) and in taking out militants and terror infrastructure until its complete surrender,” Katz said.

The renewed attacks came after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on terms for an extension of the two-month-old truce.

Israel has said it will never again accept Hamas governance and military power in Gaza following the militants' October 7, 2023 cross-border attack that led to the Gaza war.

The Israeli military said last week that its forces had begun a focused ground operation in the central and southern Gaza Strip after it resumed bombardments in the besieged enclave that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.

According to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the objective of the new campaign is to force the Islamist militants to release remaining hostages.

The latest offensive has been among the deadliest since the conflict began 17 months ago, splintering a shaky ceasefire that had largely prevailed since it went into effect on January 19.

Hamas is said to still be holding 59 hostages, with 24 thought to be still alive, among the more than 250 it seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians.