'When it comes to core issues that define Israel, don't expect too much from alternative' to PM
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Mediators struggled on Thursday to reach a truce in Israel's war with Hamas that entered its sixth month with dozens more killed, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory threatened by famine. The ministry said 83 more people had been killed over the previous day, adding to a toll it says has reached 30,800, mostly women and children, in a war that China called "a disgrace to civilisation". Fighting began after an unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel that resulted in about 1,160 deaths, most of them civilians, Israeli figures show. The militants also took around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, some of whom were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes 99 of them remain alive in Gaza and that 31 have died. US President Joe Biden has urged Hamas to accept a ceasefire plan with Israel before the Muslim fasting month begins, as early as Sunday depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. However, mediators in Egypt have struggled to overcome tough obstacles, while the United Nations has repeatedly warned that famine looms for Palestinians trapped by the fighting. As the Israel-Hamas war reaches a grim milestone, 5 months of brutal conflict, and a ceasefire far from a foregone conclusion, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Gideon Levy, Author, Columnist and Board member of Haaretz.