Gaza: “About two months into the conflict, Israel is nearing a decisive junction. Israeli forces have made considerable gains in the northern Gaza Strip, but Hamas is far from falling apart in Gaza’s south and maintains capabilities in the north as well”, writes former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in an opinion piece for Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“Netanyahu’s failure in leading the conflict lies in his denial of the understanding that in this case, victory cannot be achieved without a clear position on the ‘day after’ and a plan to implement that vision.

“The requisite conclusion is that the Netanyahu government is causing grave harm to Israel’s strategic standing and leading an offensive that has no endpoint. This is causing enormous damage. Netanyahu’s premiership must be terminated before the consequences of his flaws become irreversible,” he said.

The Palestinian group Hamas has called on media outlets to increase their presence in the Gaza Strip and view the extent of destruction caused by Israel in the enclave since October 7, Anadolu Agency reports.

“We call on journalists and international media agencies to intensify their presence in the Gaza Strip to see the extent of the destruction and signs of genocide committed by the (Israeli) occupation and its Nazi army against children, defenseless civilians and all infrastructure,” it said in a statement.

The statement pointed to “the discovery of dozens of bodies of Palestinian civilians under the rubble in the Sabra area and other areas of Gaza City and the extent of the destruction that occurred to the Islamic University, which is one of the most important scientific institutions”.

The group said the destruction “confirms the horror of what the people of Gaza were subjected to in a war of genocide, the goal of which was to push them to exile”.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have warned Palestinians against heading to northern Gaza despite the extension of the truce.

“Do not try moving to northern Gaza, which is considered a war zone. You can only move to the south of Wadi Gaza via the Salah al-Din Road,” it said in a post on X.

“It is forbidden to approach within a kilometre of the border. Entry into the sea is prohibited.”