A 22-year-old Palestinian man was tortured and killed by Hamas militants after he criticized the group publicly and participated in rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, his family said.

It added that troops destroyed infrastructure and command and control centers belonging to Hamas, an Iran-backed Palestinian militant group.Read more:Gaza Death Toll Rises as Netanyahu Presses On: Balance of PowerIsrael ‘Carving’ New Corridor in South Gaza,

A Palestinian protester opposed to Hamas' rule over the Gaza Strip was beaten and tortured to death following a demonstration last week, according to reports.

Hamas decided not to respond or engage with Israel's counter-proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, an official told Reuters on Wednesday, affirming it is committed to the mediators' plan instead.

Members of the Abu Samra clan — a known family in central Gaza — admitted to killing the Hamas operative in Deir al-Balah on Tuesday after he gunned down their relative earlier in the

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the pressure on Gaza would increase until the remaining hostages were returned to Israel. “The more they do not give (back the hostages), the more the pressure will increase until they do,” vowed the Israeli Prime Minster in a video statement released on Wednesday.

Hamas has agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal it received two days ago from mediators Egypt and Qatar, the Palestinian militant group's chief said on Saturday.

The Hamas militant group said Saturday it has accepted a new Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar, but Israel said it has made a counter-proposal in "full coordination" with the third mediator, the United States.

Hamas used a series of hostage handovers during a two-month cease-fire to put on a show of strength, with its fighters donning the group’s signature green headbands and holding assault rifles.But as Israel has resumed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza in recent days,