Netanyahu visits northern Gaza, vows to intensify military operations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza on Tuesday and vowed to intensify military operations against Hamas until "all war objectives are achieved."

Accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir, Netanyahu received a security briefing from commanders at the site, according to a statement from his office.

The visit came as Gaza-based health authorities reported that the death toll from the 18-month Israeli offensive had surpassed 51,000.

Netanyahu praised Israeli troops for what he called "a remarkable job" in the Gaza Strip and said Hamas would continue to "absorb more and more blows."

Defense Minister Katz echoed his remarks, saying the military would escalate its pressure on Hamas until the group agrees to release the hostages and is ultimately defeated.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has been continuing its attacks on the Gaza Strip.

According to Gaza-based health authorities, an Israeli strike hit a gate of the hospital in Khan Younis's Mawasi area earlier in the day, killing at least one medic and injuring nine other patients and medics.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the strike targeted "the head of a Hamas terrorist cell and a combat zone commander."

"The strike was conducted using precise munitions to mitigate harm in the area as much as possible," the spokesperson said.

On the same day, Hamas said it had "lost contact" with the captors of an Israeli-American hostage in Gaza, whose release takes center stage in Israel's latest proposal for a renewed ceasefire.

"We announce that we have lost contact with the group holding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct strike on their location. We are still trying to reach them at this moment," Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's military wing Al-Qassam Brigades, said on his Telegram channel.

The military wing later released a video addressed to the families of the remaining hostages, warning that their loved ones were likely to return in coffins if Israel kept up its bombardment of the territory. 

The video carried a subtitled message in English, Arabic and Hebrew. "Be prepared. Soon, your children will return in black coffins with their bodies torn apart by shrapnel from your army's missiles," the message warns.

The Palestinian militant group still holds 59 hostages. Almost 200 hostages have been released by Hamas or rescued by the Israeli military over the course of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

(With input from agencies)