Tel Aviv, Nov 15 (IANS): Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant meets with Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East, and tells him that Israel will not end its Gaza campaign until the Hamas terror group has been annihilated and the hostages held in the Strip are returned home.

"The State of Israel will not stop its operations in Gaza until our troops fulfill their missions -- destroying Hamas and returning our hostages home to their families," he tells McGurk, according to a Defence Ministry statement.

The statement says that Gallant "discussed the hostage situation at length, sharing intelligence and details on the status of those held captive by Hamas, as well as the efforts to return them home".

McGurk is in Israel as part of a whirlwind tour of countries in the region with the goal of reaching a US-brokered deal securing the release of many of the 240 people being held in Gaza by Palestinian terrorists, The Times of Israel reported.

He is reportedly set to head to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain at the conclusion of his Israel visit.