TRUCE PRESSURE
The war was sparked by Hamas’s Oct 7 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 38,983 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
Washington has pushed for a ceasefire deal in Gaza, but Netanyahu, who faces domestic pressure to bring home the hostages taken in the Oct 7 Hamas attack, has insisted that increased military pressure on the militants is the best route to a deal.
“This double pressure is not delaying the deal – it is advancing it,” Netanyahu told troops in Gaza on Thursday.
On Sunday, the premier’s office said he was sending a negotiating team for new talks on a truce deal, though it was unclear where the team would go.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been working unsuccessfully for months to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas.
