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