The United States told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was to blame for the deaths in the Gaza Strip since Israel resumed hostilities there.

Israeli Defense Minister Katz told Hamas that the IDF would take "permanent" and "annexed" control of parts of the Gaza Strip unless the hostages were freed.

Israel's defense minister said Friday he has ordered ground forces to advance deeper into the Gaza Strip, and vowed to hold more land until Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds. “The more Hamas continues its refusal to release the kidnapped,