Israel’s defense minister warned Friday that Gaza’s largest city would be destroyed unless Hamas yields to Israel’s terms, as the world’s leading authority on food crises said the city was gripped by...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has instructed negotiations to begin for the release of all remaining hostages and an end to the war in Gaza on terms "acceptable to Israel".

The UN has said intensifying attacks and "relentless bombardment" in Gaza City are causing a "high numbers of civilian casualties and large-scale destruction".

The statement said it was "urging governments to act" by opening land crossings, agreeing to a ceasefire and ending the siege by allowing the flow of food and other aid into the territory.

The Gaza Strip's largest city is now gripped by famine, according to the world's leading authority on food crises.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Friday that famine in Gaza was the direct result of Israeli government actions and warned that deaths from starvation could amount to a war crime.