Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Friday that fighting in the Gaza Strip will continue if there is no deal on releasing the hostages kidnapped from Israel on October 7, 2023. "I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we can reach an agreement for the release of our hostages.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to arrive in Israel in a bid to salvage Gaza ceasefire talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine was unfolding.

When Spain, Ireland and Norway announced in May 2024 that they would recognise a Palestinian state, Israel's closer allies dismissed the move as unhelpful to solving the crisis in Gaza.

Canada blames the violence from Hamas for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but also pointed a finger at Israel for allowing settlements in the West Bank and Netanyahu's failure to prevent the crisis.