US President Donald Trump has said he does not believe Hamas will release Israeli hostages unless the situation on the ground in Gaza changes, American news website Axios has reported.
Mr Trump stopped short of directly endorsing Israel’s plans to expand its military offensive in Gaza, but said he agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's argument that more military pressure on Hamas is required.
In a phone call with Axios, Mr Trump said it was going to be “very rough to get them” because Hamas “are not going to let the hostages out in the current situation”.
The Israeli plan to reoccupy Gaza has drawn international condemnation and many have cast doubts on its effectiveness in both stopping Hamas and returning the hostages.
Yossi Kuperwasser, director of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told The National reoccupation does not guarantee the return of the hostages.
"But even if we accept all the Hamas demands, we are not sure that we're going to get all the hostages," said Mr Kuperwasser, who is also former director general of Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs.
Israeli officials have said the offensive could take several weeks to begin, which could leave a window of opportunity for a renewed push in ceasefire talks. Monday saw the arrival of senior Hamas figures to Cairo to possibly resume ceasefire talks alongside Egyptian officials.
International pressure is mounting on Israel to end the war, which has killed nearly 61,500 Palestinians. The Israeli army began its offensive after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed 1,200 people.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose government has said it will recognise Palestinian statehood in September alongside France, the UK and Canada, also described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as being "in denial" about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Despite UN and international pressure, the US-Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation opened four so-called aid distribution centres, which have turned into death traps as Palestinians are killed while waiting for rations near the sites on a near-daily basis.
More than 875 people have been killed while attempting to obtain basics such as flour, rice and sugar.
Mr Albanese told Australian state broadcaster ABC he discussed the problems in his phone call with Mr Netanyahu last week.
"He again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people," the Prime Minister said.
On Monday five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli air strike outside Al Shifa hospital, an attack heavily criticised internationally, including by the EU, which has recently taken harsher stances against Israel.
The bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday said Israel's allegation that one of the journalists it killed - Anas Al Sharif - was connected to Hamas, lacked proof.
"There is a need in these cases to provide clear evidence, in the respect of rule of law, to avoid targeting of journalists," Ms Kallas said, adding that a military solution was not possible as indicated by the fact that Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza.
"If a military solution was possible, the war would already be over," she wrote on X.
She also called on Israel to allow more aid into the territory.
Staunchly pro-Israel Germany announced last week a partial arms embargo on Israel, after the cabinet last week approved the re-occupation of Gaza, beginning with Gaza City.
