Israel kills dozens in Gaza as new cracks emerge in Netanyahu’s coalition

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz demanded on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commit to an agreed vision for the Gaza conflict that would include stipulating who might rule the territory after the war with Hamas.

In a news conference, Gantz said he wanted the war cabinet to form a six-point plan by June 8. If his expectations are not met, Gantz said, he would withdraw his centrist party from the conservative premier's emergency government.

Thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday demanding an immediate ceasefire and release of around 130 hostages still held in Gaza after seven months of Israel's war.

Protesters carried pictures of the hostages and chanted slogans. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism at home and abroad for failing to articulate an endgame more than seven months into the war.

The Israeli military said its forces have continued operation in areas across Gaza including Jabalia and Rafah".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the war on Gaza is an “open wound” that threatens to infect the entire region.

“The only permanent way to end the cycle of violence and instability is through a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, with Jerusalem as capital of both states,” he said.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered in world cities, in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, demanding an end to the war.

The protests also marked the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, or Catastrophe, which saw the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland when Israel was founded in 1948.

The demonstration in London took place in White Hall, the heart of the British government, very close to Downing Street, the home and office of the prime minister.