Extract from ABC News
Protesters have gathered in Gaza City to call for Israel to stop its planned operation in the city. (ABC News)
In short:
Palestinians have rallied in Gaza City, calling for an end to Israel's "monstrous attack" on the strip.
The rally came hours after Israel announced it had begun its mission to occupy the area.
What's next?
Israel has called up 60,000 reservists to bolster its ranks ahead of its mission to invade the city, which will forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of people south.
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will begin ceasefire negotiations.
Benjamin Netanyahu said he had directed Israeli negotiators to press ahead with demands for the release of all hostages as part of any ceasefire negotiations with Hamas.
Earlier in the week, Hamas had agreed to a proposal drafted by mediators Egypt and Qatar for a 60-day truce, during which time half of the remaining hostages would be freed.
There are 50 Israelis still held captive in Gaza by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
The instructions to negotiators are effectively a rejection of that proposal — an unsurprising development, given the rhetoric surrounding the talks for a truce since the last ceasefire was shattered in March.
Earlier, Mr Netanyahu claimed on Sky News that Israel was "on the verge of completing this war".
For months, he has insisted that victory in Gaza was within grasp, or at the very least, intense fighting would soon finish, but the war is rapidly approaching its grim second anniversary with no clear end in sight.
In a lengthy interview, with many references to Britain's wartime leader, Winston Churchill, Mr Netanyahu also revealed the prospect of a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas would not deter him from pressing ahead with Israel's Gaza City offensive.
"We're going to do that anyway, that was never a question, that we're not going to leave Hamas there," he said.
"I think President Trump put it best, he says Hamas has to disappear from Gaza.
"It's like leaving the SS in Germany — you clear out most of Germany, but what, you leave out Berlin with the SS and the Nazi corps there? Of course not."
Mr Netanyahu rarely speaks to the media — and when he does, favours conservative news outlets broadly supportive of the Israeli government.
Families of Israeli hostages demand end to war
His language around refusing to halt the Gaza City campaign was likely directed at members of his own coalition cabinet.
In what has become a familiar refrain, far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has reportedly threatened to quit the government if Mr Netanyahu agrees to any ceasefire deal.
Mr Smotrich has made similar threats in the past but failed to follow through, although Israel's Channel 12 reported he told the families of hostages he issued the ultimatum to the prime minister personally.
There are 50 Israelis still held captive by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.
Their families and supporters have demanded that the Netanyahu government accept a deal to end the war, accusing the prime minister of putting his own political ambitions ahead of ensuring their return.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said almost half a million people took to the streets of Tel Aviv last weekend to demand the government change course, fearing a delay in any deal with Hamas and the expansion of the IDF's offensive in Gaza City would threaten the lives of the hostages.
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