US President Donald Trump "fully supports Israel, the Israeli army and the actions taken in recent days" in Gaza, said White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
Trump "made it clear to "Hamas" that if they did not release all the hostages, all hell would break loose and unfortunately "Hamas" chose to play a media game with human lives," the spokeswoman stressed.
"Let's not forget that "Hamas" "is fully to blame for this situation because of its brutal attack on Israel on October 7," Levitt added.
The Islamist movement said it had fired rockets at Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the first retaliation since the resumption of Israeli air and ground operations earlier this week. According to the Gaza Civil Defense Organization, at least 504 people have been killed since then, including 190 minors.
The fighting stopped on January 19 after a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, AFP recalls. During its first phase, 33 hostages, including eight who died, were returned to Israel. In exchange, about 1,800 Palestinian detainees were released.
However, the talks have since stalled, although "Hamas" wants to move to the second phase, which would include a permanent ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the opening of border crossings for humanitarian aid, and the release of the last hostages. Israel, for its part, wants to extend the first phase until mid-April. To move on to the second phase, the government wants the "demilitarization" of Gaza and the departure of "Hamas", which has ruled the territory since 2007.