Around 300 Palestinians have died each day on average since the conflict began, excluding the seven-day ceasefire, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Netanyahu: 'War will continue until Hamas is eliminated'
ADVERTISEMENTIsrael's prime minister said on Wednesday that anyone thinking Israel will soon stop the war against Hamas is "not connected to reality."
In a recorded video address, Benjamin Netanyahu thundered that all Hamas members from top to bottom "have only two options: surrender or die."
"We continue the war until the end. It will continue until Hamas is eliminated - until victory," he said.
His words come amid a skyrocketing death toll in Gaza, which has prompted international concern and condemnation.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas. The UN estimates thousands more bodies lie buried under the rubble.
Around 300 Palestinians have died each day since the conflict began, excluding the seven-day ceasefire, says Gaza's Health Ministry.
UN ceasefire vote postponed again
The Security Council's adoption of a new UN resolution to spur desperately needed aid for Gaza has been delayed by the US.
Two issues are important for Washington: The reference to a cessation of hostilities in the wording of the resolution and putting the UN in charge of inspecting trucks to ensure they are carrying humanitarian goods.
A vote on the Arab-sponsored resolution, first postponed on Monday, was pushed back again until Thursday morning as council members continued intense negotiations to avoid another veto by the US..
“The Security Council has agreed to continue negotiations today to allow for additional time for diplomacy," the UN Security Council president told reporters on Wednesday.
More footage of Hamas tunnels released
The Israeli army said on Wednesday it had uncovered a network of tunnels in Gaza used by the leaders of Hamas, including those accused of planning the 7 October attacks on Israel.
The military shared footage it said showed "a large network of tunnels that connects terrorist hideouts, bureaus, and residential apartments belonging to Hamas's senior leadership."
The tunnels around Gaza City's Palestine Square were used by "senior officials including Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and others, to direct their operational activity," Israeli army spokesman Peter Lerner said in an online press briefing.
Sinwar, the chief of Hamas in Gaza, and Deif are two senior militants that Israel accuses of planning the attack on Israel on 7 October, which killed 1,200 people.