As Israel and Hamas move closer to a ceasefire agreement, Israel says it wants to maintain troops in a southern corridor of the Gaza Strip — a condition that could derail the talks.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including 10 members of a family sheltering in a tent, hospital officials said

Hamas has been terminally weakened by Israel’s offensive. A lieutenant colonel in its security forces told the BBC that it has lost control of about 80 per cent of Gaza and there is “barely anything left” of its military structures.