The Israeli army will then extend its control to the south of the Palestinian enclave, warns the IDF.
Will the bombings on the Gaza Strip stop soon?
The Jewish state says its army will end intensive operations and extend its control to the southern part of the Palestinian enclave.
According to Hamas, around 24,000 Palestinians have been killed in three months of war.
The Islamist movement also announces the death of two Israeli hostages. Media reports identified them as Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itay Svirsky, 38, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Beeri.
Hamas claims that they were victims of IDF bombings but this assertion is impossible to verify and it will not cause Israel to back down, the Defense Minister warns:
“If the shooting stops, the fate of those kidnapped will be sealed for many years in Hamas captivityestimates Yoav Gallant. Without military pressure, no one will talk to us. Without military pressure, we will not be able to reach any agreement. Only in a position of strength can the abductees be freed.”
These images from an NGO show the Bureij refugee camp, or what remains of it as it was razed after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The United Nations continues to criticize obstacles to humanitarian aid in the Palestinian enclave. The delivery of medical equipment and medicines, fuel, water and sanitation equipment to northern Gaza has been refused several times in a row since December.
The UN estimates that 85% of Gaza residents have had to abandon their homes.