Israel will not change its approach to Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue its bombing campaign on the Palestinian enclave, he said, adding that West Jerusalem will not agree to a pause in the hostilities unless the Israeli hostages are freed. 

The IDF will continue to strike Gaza with “all of its power,” Netanyahu said in a statement to the media. Israel “refuses a temporary ceasefire that doesn’t include the return of our hostages,” he added. 

Around 240 people were kidnapped by the Gaza-based Hamas militant group in a surprise attack on Israel on October 7. The militants have since said they are open to the idea of releasing the hostages, but maintained that this can only be done after a cessation of hostilities, as they cannot even gather information on the people they are holding captive due to the bombing and the communications blackout imposed by Israel. 

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