Israel has continued to strike densely populated areas across the middle and southern Gaza Strip, with fears of an impending push south by ground troops. Diplomacy is working behind the scenes to try to impose a second truce, and a proposal for a six-week truce has been presented to Hamas. International efforts towards a new pause in the devastating Gaza war have gathered pace, with Israel bombarding the Palestinian territory during fierce fighting with Hamas militants. The war was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel, leading to a significant number of casualties in the conflict.