This picture taken from a position on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, shows smoke rising during an Israeli strike on the besieged Palestinian territory. AFP
"Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda," Hamas said in a statement.
The statement was issued as Netanyahu was convening his security cabinet to vote on an expansion of the military campaign in Gaza. Israeli media said it could entail a full military occupation of the Palestinian territory.
Earlier on Thursday, US network Fox News aired an interview with Netanyahu in which he said that Israel intends to take control of all of the Gaza Strip but not "keep it" or "govern it."
"In response to the remarks made by war criminal... Benjamin Netanyahu, in his interview with Fox News... What he is planning is a continuation of a policy of genocide and forced displacement, through the perpetration of further crimes against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said.
The group accused Netanyahu of "backtracking on the negotiation track".
Indirect talks with Hamas seeking a truce and captive release deal broke down in late July.
During Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, militants seized 251 captives. Forty-nine of them are still held in Gaza, including 27, the Israeli military says, who are dead.
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