Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that if Hamas does not return the captives by Saturday at noon, the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian armed group will end and fighting will resume, Al Jazeera reports.

“The military will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” he said in a video statement.

Speaking after a four-hour cabinet meeting, the Israeli leader also said he ordered Israeli troops to gather “inside and around the Gaza Strip”.

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