Israeli strikes overnight have killed a family-of-six and a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, officials say.
A strike hit the tent where Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua was staying in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, killing him, according to a Hamas official.
Another strike near Gaza City killed four children and their parents, according to the emergency service of Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry.
Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas last week, launching a surprise wave of strikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians. It has vowed to escalate the offensive if Hamas does not release hostages, disarm and leave the territory.
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Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 59 hostages – 24 of whom are believed to be alive – in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu repeated Israeli threats to seize territory in Gaza if Hamas refuses to release the remaining Israeli hostages, as, for the second consecutive day, hundreds of Palestinians joined protests against the militant group and demanding the end of the war.
The Israeli prime minister’s warning came a week after Israel resumed its attacks in the territory, shattering the relative calm of a January ceasefire with Hamas.
“The more Hamas continues in its refusal to release our hostages, the more powerful the repression we exert will be,” Mr Netanyahu told a hearing in parliament, which was occasionally interrupted by shouting from opposition members.
He added: “I say this to my colleagues in the Knesset, and I say it to Hamas as well: this includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate here.”
Hamas warned on Wednesday that hostages may be killed if Israel attempts to use its military to retrieve them. “Every time the occupation attempts to retrieve its captives by force, it ends up bringing them back in coffins,” the group said in a statement.
For the second consecutive day, hundreds of Palestinians joined protests in northern Gaza on Wednesday, shouting anti-Hamas slogans and calling for an end to the war with Israel, in a rare display of public anger against the militant group.
On Tuesday, videos and photographs shared on social media, which appeared to be authentic, showed hundreds of people, mostly men, chanting: “Hamas out” and: “Hamas terrorists” in Beit Lahiya.
Some protesters were seen carrying banners emblazoned with slogans including: “Stop the war” and: “We want to live in peace”. At least one appeal to join the protest was circulating on the social media network Telegram.
The resumption of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip had displaced 142,000 people in seven days, the UN said on Wednesday, warning of dwindling stocks of humanitarian aid.
There has been no sign that Israel will open entry points to allow essential aid to flow or ease its new offensive.
The Gaza health ministry said more than 50,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza and another 113,408 wounded since the beginning of the war.
Israel’s parliament passed a law early Thursday increasing the role played by politicians in selecting judges, including to the supreme court, drawing furious criticism from opposition leaders over what they see as a threat to democracy and unity.
After a marathon overnight debate, with tens of thousands of protesters outside — joined by opposition leaders, who boycotted the final vote — the law was passed 67 to 1.
The legislation, put forward by the ruling coalition of Mr Netanyahu, reduces the influence of high-court judges and leaders of the bar on the selection committee, shifting the balance to politicians and lawyers chosen by party leaders. – Agencies
