Hamas slams Netanyahu's insistence that Gaza war will continue

Hamas has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence on continuing the war on Gaza, after the Israeli leader said his country was only open to a "temporary ceasefire", after which the onslaught would continue.

The Palestinian faction said the prime minister's words "confirm once again to the entire world that we are facing a criminal obsessed with murder and genocide, pushing the entire region toward the abyss to serve his political interests".

"Netanyahu's discussion of the Trump plan for displacement (of Palestinians from Gaza) as one of the goals of his brutal war places the responsibility on Washington to clarify its position on the crime of forced displacement under the threat of genocide, at a time when it is playing the role of mediator to end the war," it added.

The Israeli premier had said earlier on Wednesday that Israel would be open to a "temporary ceasefire to free hostages", adding that at least 20 captives held in Gaza should be released. Netanyahu also reiterated his intent to reoccupy the entirety of Gaza, dismissing attempts at achieving a lasting truce.

Netanyahu's words appeared to contradict the reality on the ground in Gaza, where Israel has escalated its airstrikes on Gaza targeting displaced Palestinians.

Israel's Army Radio also revealed that new brigades had been deployed to Gaza in recent hours as part of attempts to enforce the army's control over more areas of the enclave.

Despite growing international pressure, Israel has maintained its block on humanitarian aid for Gaza, conceding on Sunday to allowing only a "basic amount of food" into the territory. Aid groups said the amount allowed in falls far short of what is needed to feed Gaza.

The Palestinian health minister said on Thursday that 29 children and elderly people had died from starvation-related deaths in Gaza in recent days and that many thousands more were at risk.

Food aid is expected to start reaching Gazans on Thursday after Israel let the first trucks through following an 11-week blockade, but Palestinian and aid officials say it is just a fraction of what is needed.

"In the last couple of days we lost 29 children," Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan told reporters, describing them as "starvation-related deaths". He later clarified that the total included elderly people as well as children.

Video footage posted on Wednesday showed thousands of aid trucks waiting along the Gaza-Egypt border after being denied entry by Israeli forces.

In Israel, right-wing activists have attempted to impede the delivery of aid into Gaza, with dozens of members of the Tzav 9 and Israeli Reservists – Generation of Victory groups gathering on Wednesday to block trucks from travelling to Gaza.

Israeli police arrested at least two people as the far-right attempted to block the road leading to the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. Others were seen 'slow walking' in front of the trucks in an apparent effort to delay their delivery to those in need in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. The Government Media Office in Gaza announced that the death toll from direct starvation and lack of food and medicine has reached more than 300 since the beginning of Israel's complete siege in March.

This includes 58 deaths from malnutrition, 242 from lack of treatment, and 300 miscarriages among pregnant women in just 80 days. Data indicates that among the victims are kidney patients and children who were left to their fate as fuel ran out and medical services ceased.