Secret meetings, altered records, ignored intelligence: the inside story of the prime minister’s political calculations since Oct. 7.

Israel's military said Tuesday that it had expanded its operations in Gaza, where residents reported fierce gunfire and shelling days ahead of a planned trip to Washington by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ready to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza during a 60-day truce but only if it was demilitarised.

As talks for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip resume, Palestinians in the battered enclave say they are desperate for deal to end the war between Israel and Hamas.

The deaths came after no signs of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks following two days of meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The children and two women were among at least 13 people killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday, officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said.