File Photo: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem. AFP
On Sunday morning, an Israeli air strike that hit a house and a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians killed at least eight people, including five children, the Gaza civil defence agency said.
The strike in Khan Younis came on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Israel resumed large-scale bombing in the Palestinian territory on March 18 and then launched a new ground offensive, ending a nearly two-month ceasefire in the war with Hamas.
Netanyahu rejected criticism that his government was not engaging in negotiations aimed at releasing captives held in Gaza, insisting that the renewed military pressure on Hamas was proving effective.
"We are negotiating under fire... We can see cracks beginning to appear" in Hamas's positions, the Israeli leader told a cabinet meeting.
In the "final stage", Netanyahu said that "Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to leave".
"The military pressure is working," he said.
"The combination of military pressure and diplomatic pressure is the only thing that has brought the hostages back."
Hamas has expressed a willingness to relinquish Gaza's administration, but has warned its weapons are a "red line".
Egypt, Qatar and the United States are attempting to again broker a ceasefire and secure the release of Israeli captives still held in Gaza.
A senior Hamas official stated on Saturday that the group had approved a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators and urged Israel to support it.
Netanyahu's office confirmed receipt of the proposal and stated that Israel had submitted a counterproposal in response.
However, the details of the latest mediation efforts remain undisclosed.
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