"We do not forget and we will not forget, and we will continue to remind even those who try to deny it. We are fighting for our right to live here in safety," Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement.

Halevi said "increased military pressure" on Hamas was the only way to secure the release of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.

"Tomorrow we will mark a hundred days since the beginning of the war. A hundred days in which the hostages are still held in Gaza by the cruel Hamas terrorists," Halevi said.

"We are operating by all means, most of them covertly, in order to return them and we will continue to do so until we return them all."

Halevi insisted that continuing to operate in Gaza was the only way to win the war.

"We must continue to operate in enemy territory, not allow extortion attempts for a ceasefire that seemingly will not bring about real results," he said.

"We must continue applying pressure and that is exactly what we are doing."

Palestinian militants took about 250 captives on October 7, 132 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza, including at least 25 believed to have been killed.

Although more than 100 hostages were released during a week-long truce in November, the fate of the others remains unclear.