Yet according to multiple testimonies from Gaza, Hamas is on its last legs. Its military and political leadership has been almost entirely eliminated. Its government no longer governs. Gangs and looters are filling the vacuum.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial U.S.-backed aid distribution initiative supported by Israel, is currently the primary method for Palestinians in devastated Gaza to access supplies in designated spots after Israel lifted its aid blockade in mid-May.

Thirteen women and two men who survived captivity by Hamas said they experienced or witnessed sexual violence while held hostage in Gaza, according to a new report by a group of Israeli researchers known as the Dinah Project.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday on Capitol Hill that he and US President Donald Trump have a common goal to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

A U.N. Commission of Inquiry into sexual assault on October 7 found that Israeli women were subjected "to gender-based violence such as physical, sexual and psychological violence, including threats of such acts, coercion and arbitrary deprivation of liberty."

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the first targeted killing in the area for several months.

President Trump on Wednesday said he believed the U.S. was close to securing a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Ruby Chen, father of Hamas hostage Itay Chen, on the fight to bring the remaining captives home after President Trump hinted a deal may be on the horizon.