Israel-Hamas war – live: Netanyahu agrees to ‘little pauses’ in Gaza assault for aid access

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he may be open to “little pauses” in his nation’s bombardment on the Gaza Strip, as he ruled out the possibility of a wider ceasefire.

“There’ll be no ceasefire, no general ceasefire in Gaza without the release of our hostages,” he told ABC News.

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas leader refused to admit that civilians were targeted during the group’s 7 October attack on Israel, despite overwhelming evidence from videos and eye-witnesses.

“Women, children and civilians were exempt” from Hamas’ attacks, claimed Moussa Abu Marzouk in a BBC interview.

It comes as the United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the Gaza Strip was becoming “a graveyard for children.”

He emphasised that the protection of civilians “must be paramount” in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, adding that violations of international humanitarian law were being committed. He also criticised Hamas and other militants for using civilians as human shields amid their indiscriminate use of rockets towards Israel.

Earlier, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza says the Palestinian death toll from the ongoing war has surpassed 10,000, marking a grim milestone becoming the deadliest round of fighting since Israel’s establishment 75 years ago.

Source » yahoo.com