The U.S. has advised Israel to postpone its planned ground offensive in the Gaza Strip against the Islamist Hamas organisation, local media reports said.

The U.S. government hopes to obtain more time for negotiations to secure the release of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

This aims to avoid further civilian casualties and ensure more humanitarian aid reaches the population in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the ground offensive after Hamas killed hundreds of people and kidnapped more than 200 in terrorist attacks on Israeli territory on October 7.

Since the attack, according to its statements, the Israeli army has attacked hundreds of Hamas targets in the densely populated Gaza Strip.

On Friday, Hamas surprisingly released two U.S. hostages, which prompted the U.S. government to advise Israel to postpone the ground offensive, the report said.

The Islamist group, designated as a terrorist organisation in the U.S. and the European Union, had warned that a ground offensive would make it very unlikely for further hostages to be released.

These negotiations primarily take place through Qatar, which has close ties with the political leaders of Hamas. 

(dpa/NAN)