Jerusalem, 17 May

Israel has launched a major operation in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages, the defence minister said Saturday, following days of intensive strikes across the territory that killed hundreds of people.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Operation Gideon Chariots was being led with “great force” by Israel's army.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed earlier in the week to escalate pressure on Hamas with the aim of destroying the militant group that has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades.

The operation comes as US President Donald Trump concluded his trip to the region without a visit to Israel. There had been widespread hope that Trump's trip could increase the chances of a ceasefire deal or the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has prevented for more than two months.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas have yet to achieve progress in Qatar's capital, Doha. Hamas, which released an Israeli-American hostage as a goodwill gesture ahead of Trump's Mideast trip, insists on a deal that eventually ends the three-year war — something Israel said it won't agree to.

More than 150 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It said almost 3,000 have been killed since Israel broke a January ceasefire on 18 March.

Of the hostages who remain in Gaza, Israel believes as many as 23 are still alive, although Israeli authorities have expressed concern for the status of three of those.

The war began on 7 Oct, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants.