Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel has "resumed fighting" in Gaza and vowed to continue until all remaining hostages are released, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
In a brief statement, Katz said that "the gates of hell will open in Gaza" if the hostages are not released. "We will not stop fighting until all our hostages go home and we achieve all the goals of the war," he added.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 100 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including several children, and 150 were wounded, Reuters reported.
The Israeli military said it was prepared to continue attacks on Hamas commanders and infrastructure in Gaza for as long as necessary and would expand its campaign beyond airstrikes. Israel has consulted with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump about the strikes in Gaza, a White House spokesman told Fox News.
A senior Hamas official told Reuters that Israel was unilaterally ending a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The Palestinian group said Israel was renewing its "aggression" against civilians in Gaza, thus exposing the hostages held in the enclave to an unknown fate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the orders for airstrikes in Gaza followed repeated refusals by “Hamas“ to release the hostages and the rejection of all offers received from US President's envoy Steve Witkoff and the mediators.
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,“ the presidency said in a statement. The office added that the Israeli prime minister and defense minister had ordered the military to take “decisive action“ against “Hamas“ in Gaza.