Hamas ready to release 70 hostages for a 5-day truce

"The truce should involve a complete ceasefire and the allowance of aid and humanitarian relief throughout the Gaza Strip," stated Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Alqassam Brigades, in a recorded audio published on the group's Telegram channel.

He accused Israel of "procrastinating and evading" the terms of the deal.

Last month, Israel initiated a campaign to eliminate Hamas, the militant group governing the Gaza Strip, after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, resulting in civilian casualties. According to Israel's count, around 1,200 people died, and 240 were taken to Gaza as hostages.

As of Monday, the total death toll in the Gaza Strip reached 11,240, according to the media office of the Hamas-controlled government. This includes 4,630 children and 3,130 women since October 7.

Israeli military says it found signs hostages were held in Gaza hospital

The Israeli military presented video and photos on Monday, alleging that Hamas stored weapons in the basement of a children's hospital in Gaza, where hostages were purportedly held. The footage showed what appeared to be living quarters and a tunnel shaft.

Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said troops had found a command centre with an armoury of weapons including grenades, suicide vests and other explosives stored by Hamas fighters in the basement of Rantissi Hospital, a pediatric hospital with a speciality in treating cancer patients.

He showed footage of what appeared to be rudimentary living quarters, including a small kitchen, as well as a nearby tunnel shaft which he said led to ​​the house of a senior Hamas naval commander.

The location and date of the video could not be independently verified by Reuters. Hamas and Gaza hospital authorities denied the allegations.

President Biden on Gaza: "The hospital must be protected"

US President Joe Biden emphasized the need to protect Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and expressed hope for "less intrusive action" there.

Israeli tanks positioned at the gates of Gaza City's main hospital, Al Shifa, as part of Israel's effort to control the northern half of the Gaza Strip. Patients, including newborns, were reported to be dying due to a lack of fuel.

Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra reported 32 patient deaths in the last three days, including three newborns, due to the siege and power shortage.

"This is neither an 'operation' nor a 'round' but a war to the end," says Israel's Prime Minister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video released on Monday, referred to the ongoing campaign as a "war to the end," not merely an operation or round.

"This is neither an 'operation' nor a 'round' but a war to the end. It is important to me that you know this," Netanyahu told soldiers gathered around him.

"This is not lip service, but from the heart and mind. If we do not finish them, it will come back."

Reuters