Israel army chief warns of combat ‘without rest’ unless hostages are freed

Israel's top general has warned that there will be no respite in fighting in Gaza if negotiations fail to quickly secure the release of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

"I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we can reach an agreement for the release of our hostages," said army chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a military statement.

"If not, the combat will continue without rest," he said, during remarks to officers inside Gaza on Friday.

Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,332 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.

Footage released by the Israeli military showed Zamir meeting soldiers and officers in a command centre.

Of the 251 people who were kidnapped from Israel during Hamas's attack in October 2023, 49 remain in Gaza, 27 of them dead, according to the military.

The Israeli military troops in southern Gaza. File/AFP

Palestinian armed groups this week released two videos of hostages looking emaciated and weak.

Negotiations -- mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar -- to secure a ceasefire and their release broke down last month, and some in Israel have called for tougher military action.

This comes against the backdrop of growing pressure -- both internationally and domestically, including from many of the hostages' families -- to resume efforts to secure a ceasefire in the nearly 22-month conflict.

Aid agencies have meanwhile warned that Gaza's population is facing a catastrophic famine, triggered by Israeli restrictions on aid.

Zamir nonetheless rejected these allegations out of hand.

"The current campaign of false accusations of intentional starvation is a deliberate, timed, and deceitful attempt to accuse the IDF (military), a moral army, of war crimes," he said.

"The ones responsible for the killing and suffering of the residents in the Gaza Strip is Hamas."

Hamas's 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures.

A total of 898 Israeli soldiers have also been killed since ground troops were sent into Gaza, according to the military.

Agence France-Presse