TRANSCRIPT
The terms of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza are being negotiated between Israel, Hamas and mediators from Egypt, Qatar [[cutter]] and the United States.
Despite the ongoing negotiations, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared his intention to carry on with the war in Gaza.
He says he will only agree to a temporary truce and that the conflict will not end until Hamas has been eliminated and all of the hostages held by the military group are freed.
Speaking from Israel's northern border with Lebanon, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says whether an agreement is reached or not, his army still faces a threat from Hezbollah.
“Even if we reach an agreement regarding the hostages deal, and I very much hope that we will be able to reach one in the south, it does not affect what is happening here (in the north), unless Hezbollah reaches an agreement. But a ceasefire isn’t a ceasefire. As we negotiate there and try to reach an agreement, here we continue to fight and do everything necessary and this is what brings the results.”
The thousands of displaced Palestinians have little faith that a ceasefire deal can be achieved.
It has now been nine months since the war in Gaza began, with over 38,000 people having reportedly lost their lives.
Heba Radi, a mother of six children whose family has already been displaced five times due to the conflict, says there's not much reason to hope.
“We have lived through nine months of suffering. Each day passes as if it’s a year. The cost of living is so expensive. One hundred shekels are the equivalent of 10 shekels before the war. Life is difficult. As for our children’s lives, we are trying to do what is best for them.”
Protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem continued for yet another day, with people demanding an immediate ceasefire that would facilitate the return of the remaining captives.
With faith in the Netanyahu government all but lost over their handling of the conflict, Israeli citizens are also calling for a general election in the country.
Uri Schachter, a protester from Tel Aviv, says it is time for a change.
“I'm here to support families of kidnapped Israelis in Gaza. I'm here to oppose my government and to bring this war to an end, hopefully to bring elections and to bring this criminal government down as soon as possible.”
In Jerusalem, hundreds of people gathered near Prime Minister Netanyahu's residence to show their anger at the current situation.
Elisha Baumgarten, a fellow protester, says nations in the Middle East must find a way to co-exist peacefully.
“We have 120 hostages still in Gaza, and the government is doing everything they can not to get them out. The soldiers, the army, all the heads of security have said that we do not need to be in Gaza any more. It’s time to move on. It’s time to bring these people home, to do what the country owes to its citizens. And it’s time to find a way for this region to live peacefully and not with non-stop war. I’m here today to protest the government and to demand that the deal that is currently on the table be accepted by the Israeli government.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has provided reporters with an insider's view into the Gaza war zone.
A number of journalists were given an exclusive look at the situation in several key points across the region.
Israeli military spokesman rear admiral Daniel Hagari, who accompanied the journalists, showed them a tunnel in the Rafah area, near the border with Egypt, that had been uncovered by the army.
He says it is part of an underground network that has been developed by Hamas, which the Israeli military intends to shut down.
“This is part of the Rafah brigade military framework. Rafah brigade military framework has a couple of functionals. One functional is to smuggle arms into Gaza. This is being taken care of now in Philadelphi Corridor.”
Israel continued its operations with reports saying it successfully neutralised one of Hamas' senior officials after an air strike on a church-run school in western Gaza City.
Ehab Al-Ghussein, the Hamas-appointed deputy minister of labour, and three other people who were sheltering at the school were killed in the attack.
Israeli officials claim the school was being used for terrorist operations.
But an unnamed eye-witness says most of the people seeking shelter at the school were children.
“Inside the Holy Family Church, there’s a large number of displaced people and as you can see, the victims of the aggression are children. Dozens of children came out in pieces, cut, and ripped to pieces, women and young girls, direct targeting with F-16 rockets.”
Mr Al-Ghussein's wife and three children had reportedly already been killed by Israeli attacks in May.
