Bezalel Smotrich described Gaza as an ‘inseparable part’ of Israel, even as the Netherlands announced a ban on him and another hard line Israeli minister.

The local pause in fighting came days after ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in doubt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no one in Gaza is starving. President Donald Trump disagrees and notes the images emerging of emaciated people.

Israeli strikes killed at least 78 Palestinians in multiple locations across Gaza on Monday, local health officials said, a day after Israel eased aid restrictions in the face of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory.

Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, the enclave's health ministry said, a conflict that has devastated the coastal territory and triggered a humanitarian crisis.

Israel ended a truce in Gaza in March, hoping to break Hamas. The move has heightened suffering for Palestinians but achieved few, if any, Israeli goals.

The U.N.'s World Food Programme has said that almost 470,000 people in Gaza are enduring famine-like conditions, with 90,000 women and children in need of specialist nutrition treatments. The Israeli government has rejected international criticism of its policies in the enclave.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, said the death toll has climbed to 60,034, with 145,870 others wounded since the war started. The deaths include 18,592 children and 9,782 women. Together,