Netanyahu orders Israeli military to increase pressure on Hamas

Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has instructed the Israeli military to intensify pressure on Hamas after the Palestinian militant group rejected a temporary ceasefire proposal.

In a televised speech, the Israeli prime minister said that while the war came at a heavy price, Israel had no choice but to continue fighting for its existence until victory, the Telegraph reports.

On Thursday, Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a temporary pause in the fighting, describing the offer as "impossible conditions."

Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. It says it will only release them in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire, as called for in the now-fragmented ceasefire deal reached earlier this year.

Netanyahu's remarks came after the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said Israeli strikes had killed more than 90 people in 48 hours.

Women and children were among 15 people who were killed overnight on Friday in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to hospital staff.

At least 11 of those killed were sheltering in a tent in the designated humanitarian zone of al Mawasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people live, hospital workers said.

Four other people were killed in separate attacks in the city of Rafah, including a mother and her daughter, according to the European Hospital in Gaza, where the bodies were sent.

Israel says its latest campaign is to pressure Hamas to release more hostages, and ultimately agree to disarm and withdraw from the territory.

For weeks, Israeli troops have also blockaded Gaza, preventing the entry of food and other goods. /Telegraph