Israel pounds Hamas as mediators urge both to accept Gaza truce plan

Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip on Sunday and battled Hamas as mediators called on both sides to agree to a truce and hostage release deal outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Since Biden spoke at the White House on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Israel will pursue the war, which nears its ninth month, until it has destroyed Hamas and freed the captives.

Israel's defense minister said on Sunday Israel would not accept Hamas continuing to rule Gaza at any stage during the process to wind down the conflict and that it was examining alternatives to the Palestinian militant group.

Hamas said it "views positively" what Biden described as an Israeli proposal.

Netanyahu, a hawkish political veteran leading a fragile right-wing coalition government, is under intense domestic pressure from two sides.

Protesters backing immediate hostage release, who rallied again Saturday in their tens of thousands in Tel Aviv, are urging him to strike a truce deal, while the prime minister's far-right allies are threatening to bring down the government if he does.

Deadly fighting rocked Gaza overnight and Sunday, with Israeli military reporting more air strikes and ground combat. Across Gaza, the military said Sunday it had struck "30 terror targets" over the past day including "weapons storage facilities" and militants.

There have been street rallies in Tel Aviv with protesters demanding the release of relatives detained in the Gaza Strip./ Ahmad Gharabli

Netanyahu said on Saturday that "Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel."

Mediators the U.S., Qatar and Egypt later said they "call on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden."