Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attended a memorial service for two slain Israeli Embassy staffers at the end of his trip to Washington.

Israeli strikes reportedly kill dozens as Trump pushes for a Gaza ceasefire with Israel's visiting leader — which can't come soon enough for Palestinians, and many Israelis.

The war started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

US President Donald Trump has voiced confidence that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be agreed this week after Hamas announced that it had “submitted a positive response” to a proposal for a 60-day truce with Israel.

An Israeli strike hit Palestinians near a medical centre in Gaza on Thursday, killing 16 including children and wounding more people, local health authorities said, as ceasefire talks dragged on with no result expected soon.

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas are deadlocked as Israel refuses to withdraw troops from Gaza’s strategic Morag corridor. Hamas demands a full pullout, calling Israel’s military presence a deal-breaker.