Israel-Hamas war, Day 32 updates | Defence Minister says Israeli forces in the ‘heart of Gaza City’
The HinduThis live blog is now closed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will have “overall security responsibility” in Gaza for an indefinite period after its war with Hamas, the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the coastal enclave that is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. In an interview with ABC News that aired late Monday, Mr. Netanyahu expressed openness to “little pauses” in the fighting to facilitate the release of some of the more than 240 captives seized by Hamas in its October 7 attack into Israel, which triggered the war exactly one month ago. But he ruled out any general cease-fire without the release of all the hostages, and the White House said there was no agreement with United States President Joe Biden’s call for a broader humanitarian pause after a phone call between the leaders on Monday. Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 10,000, the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said, including over 4,100 children.