Israel Calls on Hamas to Surrender Amid Gaza Strikes

Reuters :

Israel again called on Hamas to surrender on Sunday, as the military carried out strikes on Gaza’s largest urban centre where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are seeking shelter.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Jerusalem that the war could end immediately if Hamas released the remaining hostages being held in Gaza and laid down its weapons.

“We will be more than happy to reach this objective with political means,” he said.

In response, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters it would not lay down its arms but would release all of the hostages if Israel agreed to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza, a stance that has long been the Palestinian militant group’s position.

Israel last month launched an assault on Gaza City, the major urban centre, and its forces are now just a few kilometres from the city centre.

Overnight, strikes killed 14 people across the city, local health officials said, including a strike on a school in southern Gaza City sheltering displaced Palestinians.

In response to Reuters questions about the strike on the school, the military said it had struck a Hamas militant and that civilians had been warned before the strike was carried out.