Summary

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it would amount to a "surrender to Hamas"

Speaking in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu cites the Bible as he says "this is a time for war"

Meanwhile, UN aid agencies repeated their calls for a humanitarian ceasefire at an emergency UN Security Council meeting

Unicef says the situation in Gaza is growing worse by the hour, and the “true cost of this latest escalation will be measured in children’s lives”

Earlier, the Israeli military said it had rescued a soldier in Gaza - Private Ori Megidish - who was taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October

Separately, Hamas has released a video of three hostages being held in Gaza. The BBC isn't showing the video as we do not publish material which may have been filmed under duress

Israel's PM described it as "cruel psychological propaganda", while the father of one of the women in the video said his heart "nearly stopped beating" when he saw her

Israel has been bombing Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people and saw at least 239 people kidnapped as hostages

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 8,000 people have been killed since Israel's retaliatory bombing began

Source: BBC

BDST: 0818 HRS, OCT 31, 2023
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