Hamas says it won't release prisoners while Gaza bombing continues

Hamas has released a statement saying it would not be releasing any of the captured Israeli prisoners as long as the bombing campaign against Gaza continues.

In a video statement released on Telegram, Hamas said that the attack on Saturday which left more than a thousand Israelis dead was a "defensive act" and claimed there "were clear instructions to avoid targeting civilians and killing them. Civilians were caught in the middle."

However, they emphasised that there would be no release of the scores of Israelis captured over the weekend, or negotiations, as long as the Gaza bombardment went on.

They added that the "decision to launch a military operation was entirely Palestinian," dismissing claims that Iran or other foreign forces were involved.