Gaza war at six-month mark with no end in sight

With the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza reaching the six-month mark after tens of thousands of deaths, there is no immediate end in sight to the hostilities.

Negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas are continuing in Cairo, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under increasing pressure both internationally and at home.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities on Saturday evening to protest against Netanyahu's government and demand more concerted efforts to secure the release of the hostages abducted by Hamas.

An airstrike by Israeli forces on an aid convoy in the past week provoked outrage from some of Israel's most solid international allies.

A delegation from the Palestinian militant group Hamas plans to travel to Cairo on Sunday for negotiations over a possible ceasefire, but these talks have faltered in recent weeks.

The war began on October 7 last year, when hundreds of terrorists, mainly from Hamas but also from other militant groups based in Gaza, flooded across the heavily guarded border and massacred people in nearby communities and at a music festival.

Some 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and 250 people were taken hostage back to Gaza. Since then, dozens have been released, and a few others have been found dead or freed by the Israeli army.

The unprecedented attack triggered a massive campaign of Israeli airstrikes, followed by a military ground offensive that began just weeks later in the north and has moved through every major town except Rafah in the very south.

According to Hamas authorities in Gaza, more than 32,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks so far.