Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire with Hamas until the hostages being held in Gaza are released.

His comments made at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting came as a new round of truce talks in Egypt is set to begin.

Netanyahu said that despite growing international pressure, Israel would not give in to the "extreme" demands from Hamas, the organization which sparked the war on October 7 with its deadly attack on southern Israel.