Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the release of an American-Israeli hostage announced by Hamas would not lead to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip or the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Negotiations for a possible deal to secure the release of all hostages in Gaza will continue "under fire, while preparations are made to intensify combat operations," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.
On May 11, Hamas announced it would release Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli soldier held in Gaza, as the group revealed it was in direct talks with the US to end the ceasefire in the war-torn territory.
No date was given, but the family of 21-year-old Alexander said they had been informed he could be released "in the coming days," AFP reported.
"Israel has not committed to any truce or release of terrorists, only to a safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan," Netanyahu said.
The promise to release Alexander was achieved through "military pressure" in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli prime minister said.
"We are in critical days in which Hamas has been offered a deal that will allow the release of our hostages," he added.
Earlier, two Hamas representatives said that negotiations with the US were continuing in the Qatari capital Doha and that "progress" had been made.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continued, with the Gaza civil defense agency reporting that at least 10 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight on a school housing displaced people.
"At least 10 people, including several women and children, and dozens more were wounded after an Israeli airstrike hit the Fatima Bint Assad school, which houses more than 2,000 displaced people in the city of Jabalia," said civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal. | BGNES