the hamas stronghold from the north and south. hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by the uk. us presidentjoe biden says he has asked israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu for a pause in the fighting in gaza. our middle east correspondent yolande knell reports. flares hanging in gaza s night sky are ominous warnings of incoming israeli fire. but, increasingly, the israeli prime minister s being pressed for a pause in fighting. i did ask him for a pause yesterday. this is a key moment. israeli troops are now said to be in the heart of gaza city, closing in on the stronghold of hamas, ministers say. but the destruction in gaza is already immense, with entire neighbourhoods flattened. the civilian death toll is rapidly mounting. the world health organisation says an average of 160 children are killed here every day. nothing justifies the horror being endured by the civilians in gaza. people in gaza are dying in their thousands and those alive are suffering from trau
good evening. we re live in southern israel, with news tonight from the defence minister, that his troops have now battled their way into gaza city, thought to be the stronghold of hamas. the fighting, which is street to street, is taking place just a few kilometres off in the darkness behind me. it s exactly a month since hamas killed 1,400 people, in coordinated attacks on southern israel, planned in gaza, and today, israelis attended vigils, lit candles and held a minute s silence in remembrance of those who died. like the scores of young people who lost their lives, slaughtered at a music festival near the border. and there have been special prayers for the 2112 israelis taken hostage, and still being held by hamas. israel hit back immediately after the attacks, with massive air strikes, that have reduced much of gaza to rubble. the hamas controlled health authorities there say more than 10,000 palestinians have died, while the un has called the territory, a graveyard fo