US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Hamas not to use hostages as human shields as Israel increases its ground offensive in Gaza City.
His comments came after he said he read a news report stating that Hamas is moving hostages into locations above ground.
“I hope the leaders of Hamas know what they’re getting into if they do such a thing. This is a human atrocity, the likes of which few people have ever seen before,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that “all bets are off” if the militant group use the hostages as human shields.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump for his “unflinching support for Israel's battle against Hamas”.
Hamas has said it will only free the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Israel believes Hamas still has 20 living hostages who were captured during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that started the war. Almost 65,000 Gazans have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
Israel at the weekend unleashed a barrage of air strikes that killed at least 32 people across Gaza City, medical staff reported.
Video footage showed the destruction of another high-rise building and the tower's collapse. Later, people could be seen scrambling up a mound of grey ruins.
In recent days, Israel has destroyed several high-rises after evacuation orders. It accused Hamas of putting surveillance equipment in them, without providing evidence.
Separately, Mr Trump told reporters that Mr Netanyahu would not strike Qatar again, after an attack on Hamas last week that infuriated Washington's Gulf ally.
“He won't be hitting in Qatar,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, after Mr Netanyahu failed to rule out further strikes during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem.
