The ramped up strikes began just hours after the Trump administration brokered the release on Monday of Edan Alexander in direct talks with Hamas.

Trump first floated the idea in February of a U.S. ownership of the beleaguered Gaza Strip to bring “peace” to what he described as a “demolition site.”

The Israeli military intensified operations across Gaza Thursday, killing more than 100 people, and pledged to continue bombings as US President Donald Trump suggested establishing a “freedom zone” in the enclave.