The Israeli army warned the government that without reaching an agreement with Hamas, any large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip would endanger the lives of Israeli hostages, Anadolu reports citing local media.

Israel is holding at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in its jails and estimates that 101 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza. The Palestinian group Hamas has announced that dozens of these hostages have been killed in indiscriminate Israeli air strikes.

“The IDF (army) made it clear to the political echelon (government) that without a deal (with Hamas), it must be understood that any extensive ground operation in the Gaza Strip has a meaning—risking the lives of abductees,” the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The newspaper cited an unnamed senior military official who said “the Cabinet will have to decide whether it takes responsibility for the lives of the abductees.”