Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to seize parts of the strip if Hamas didn’t release all the hostages.

Israel's defence minister has ordered the military to "seize additional areas in Gaza" if Hamas does not free all remaining hostages.Israel Katz said on Friday that the military would continue its ground operation in Gaza "with increasing intensity" until all of the hostages "both living and dead" were returned.

After two months of relative calm, Palestinians were again fleeing for their lives after Israel effectively abandoned a ceasefire, launching a new all-out air and ground campaign against Gaza's dominant Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel’s renewed military offensive in the Gaza Strip threatens to be even deadlier and more destructive than the last, as it pursues wider aims with far fewer constraints.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has threatened to annex parts of the Gaza Strip unless Hamas militants release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the war-battered Palestinian territory. The warning came as Israel stepped up the renewed assault it launched earlier this week,

Israel’s defense minister has ordered the military to take additional parts of the Gaza Strip, and vowed to hold them until Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds