Prime Minister Netanyahu is due to visit the White House a week today, as ITV News Correspondent Debi Edwards reports
The mounting death toll in Gaza could be one of the surest signs that a ceasefire deal is on the table.
On Monday afternoon, an Israeli missile hit a seafront café which activists, journalists and locals had been using for its internet connection.
At least thirty people were killed.
Survivors described the scene as a massacre. They said the café had been like a safe haven, somewhere people could escape the misery of war.
In recent days there has been a marked escalation in the IDF’s military campaign against Hamas.
More than 100 were killed in airstrikes over the weekend, and several were killed in shootings at aid distribution sites.
The Israelis have said they are investigating the deaths of unarmed civilians, they have admitted harming and killing several people but deny there have been hundreds of deaths, as has been claimed by the UN.
The doctors treating the wounded have started warning that it is no longer just bombs that are the biggest threat to life in Gaza.
At the Al-Rantisi hospital, our cameraman filmed two-month-old Sham.
Since she’s been alive no aid has reached Northern Gaza, so she hasn’t gained any weight.
Her grandmother was there caring for her, but there was nothing she could do but hold Sham’s tiny body in her arms and try to comfort her in her pain.
In the same ward, we were introduced to three-year-old Afnan.
She lay listless on her bed, the only movement was her heaving chest, her breathing having become erratic.
She weighs just four kilos, the same as a newborn, and desperately needs surgery for a heart condition. The head doctor told us that they hadn’t received critical food or medical supplies in months, the situation has gone beyond critical.
In Jerusalem, IDF soldiers wounded in the war in Gaza are calling for a decisive defeat.
They told me on Monday that their job would not be done until there was no Hamas left, there could be no diplomatic solution until that was achieved.
Also protesting at the Israeli parliament were relatives of those killed or taken hostage on October 7th.
They are demanding an immediate ceasefire and the return of all the hostages.
Gaia Kipnis’s brother and sister-in-law were murdered by Hamas, and seven of her family members were taken hostage but later released.
She told me what is happening in Gaza is horrible and nobody in Israel will be able to heal until the conflict ends and all the remaining hostages are freed.
There are thought to be 50 hostages still in Gaza, only 20 of whom are thought to be alive.
Gaia hopes that Donald Trump might persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to finish his fight with Hamas, when the pair meet in Washington next week.
It’s thought the Israeli Prime Minister is preparing to travel to the United States to meet with US President Donald Trump next week.
On Sunday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA AND GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!”.
It appears it could be a 12-day war with Iran that finally forces an end to the 20-month long conflict in Gaza.
Building on his political capital from attacking Tehran, and under pressure from his ally in the White House, Netanyahu seems to be pushing his troops to declare what could be their second victory, in as many weeks.
On Monday, rumours had reached Gaza of a potential ceasefire, then the shelling started, and shots were fired at those waiting for food in Rafah.
For those who survived the day, it must feel like there is no peace in sight.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
