Hostages to return 'in coffins' if Israel tries to free them by force: Hamas

Palestinian group Hamas warned on Wednesday that hostages may be killed if Israel attempts to retrieve them by force and air strikes continue in the Gaza Strip.

The group said in a statement that it was "doing everything possible to keep the occupation's captives alive, but the random Zionist (Israeli) bombardment is endangering their lives."

"Every time the occupation attempts to retrieve its captives by force, it ends up bringing them back in coffins," it said.

Israel restarted intense air strikes across the densely populated Gaza Strip last week followed by ground operations, shattering the relative calm afforded by a January ceasefire with Hamas.

An injured man reacts as he lies on a bed near the body of one of the young victims from the Elyan family who was killed earlier in Israeli bombardment on their house in Beit Lahyia. AFP

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hamas that Israel would seize territory in Gaza if the militants refused to release hostages still held in the Palestinian territory, AFP reports.

“The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release our hostages, the stronger the pressure we will exert,” Netanyahu told parliament.

“I say this to my colleagues in the Knesset, and I say it to Hamas as well: This includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate here.”

According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 830 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its strikes on March 18.

No deaths have been reported on the Israeli side.

Israeli officials say the resumption of operations was meant to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages, after a stalemate in talks with mediators on extending the truce — which saw 33 Israeli captives freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel wanted an extension of the truce's initial phase, while Hamas demanded talks on a second stage that was meant to lead to a permanent ceasefire.

Men offer a funeral prayer in front of the bodies of people, who were killed in Israeli bombardments, at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. AFP

Netanyahu told parliament that "the more Hamas persists in its refusal to release our hostages, the stronger the pressure we will exert."

"This includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate here," he added, days after his Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned: "The more Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed by Israel."

Agencies