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 return home and we achieve all the goals of the war," he said.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said at least 100 people were killed in the 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 US 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 "aggression" against civilians in Gaza, exposing hostages held in the enclave to an unknown fate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the orders for airstrikes in Gaza followed Hamas' repeated refusal to release the hostages and its rejection of all proposals received from U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and 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 have ordered the military to take "decisive action" against "Hamas" in Gaza.