TRANSCRIPT:
It has been a month since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel which killed more than 1,400 people, with another 240 people taken as hostages to Gaza by Hamas.
At Jerusalem's Western Wall, dozens have gathered to light a candle for each person killed in the attack.
Avihai Brodutch says the last month has been a nightmare as he awaits for word on the fate of his wife and three children kidnapped by Hamas.
"But now, it’s been so long I’m starting to lose it again. And you know, it’s been 31 days and that’s too long to be without my kids and my wife, and for them to be held captive in a foreign place, underground in a small room, and I don’t know in what situation there are in, health-wise, or you know, they’re being fed, taken care of. I can only hope that everything’s alright."
The Israelis responded quickly to the Hamas, carrying out hundreds, even thousands of airstrikes throughout the territory.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says the bombardment has resulted in the deaths of 10,000 Palestinians.
The United Nations Human Rights Office says last week's attacks on Gaza's largest refugee camp could even "amount to war crimes", given the scale of casualties and destruction.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the situation cannot be allowed to continue.
"Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children, hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly killed or injured every day. More journalists have reportedly been killed over a four week period than in any conflict in at least three decades. More United Nations aid workers have been killed than in any comparable period in the history of our organisation."
Eighteen leaders of UN agencies have signed a joint statement demanding a ceasefire, saying enough is enough.
Mr Guterres says the UN is launching an appeal for A$1.85 billion to help three million people in Gaza and the West Bank.
Around 1.5 million people have been displaced in Gaza, fleeing southwards - as they continue to be cut off from food, water, medicine, electricity and fuel.
In Gaza City, Om Haitham Hejela has been struggling to find a safe place to shelter, and says she keeps hoping the situation will calm down.
"We ran from our house because of the heavy air strikes, the situation here is very bad. The situation is getting worst day after day. Yesterday, they struck our relatives, 15 people, and we are displaced. There is no food, no water. When my son goes to pick up water gallon, he queues for 3-4 hours in the line. They struck bakeries, we don't have bread."
The Israeli army has severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory - and is moving ahead with a ground offensive it launched more than a week-and-a-half ago.
Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari says the army is stepping up pressure on Hamas.
"In Gaza, the fighters in the field are advancing according to the operational plan, continuing to move to deepen the pressure deep in Gaza City. Our fighters in the last few hours, in the 51st Battalion and in other areas, killed a number of terrorists during their movement in deepening the pressure on Gaza City."
Diplomatic efforts continue to try and bring about a ceasefire.
Ending his latest tour of the Middle East, US secretary of state Antony Blinken says he has been unable to persuade the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Neyanyahu, to adopt what he calls a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting to allow for the release of hostages and delivery of more aid.
Mr Blinken says he will still be raising the issue with G7 foreign ministers in Japan.
"We know the deep concern here for the terrible toll that Gaza's taking on Palestinians, on men, women and children in Gaza, innocent civilians - a concern that we share and that we're working on every single day. We've engaged the Israelis on steps that they can take to minimise civilian casualties. We're working, as I said, very aggressively on getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and we have very concrete ways of doing that. And I think you'll see in the days ahead that that assistance can expand in significant ways so that more gets in to people who need it, and gets to the people who need it, as well as making sure that people can continue to come out of Gaza."
Mr Netanyahu has insisted no ceasefire will get his support unless the hostages held by Hamas are released first.
Negotiations are also continuing to find new routes for getting humanitarian aid into Gaza.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says there has been progress made in talks with Cyprus' government.
"A maritime corridor from Cyprus, for example, that would guarantee a sustained, regulated and robust flow of aid. And I very much welcome the excellent cooperation with (Cypriot) President Nikos Christodoulides and his government. Our Union is the largest humanitarian donor to Gaza and we will keep pushing for our aid to reach civilians in need. This can make the difference between life and death for thousands of Palestinians."
Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing has re-opened to allow foreign passport holders and medical evacuees through after two-day suspension.
Egyptian officials says an Israeli strike on an ambulance in Gaza prompted the decision to close the crossing over the weekend.
The Australian government says it is working to evacuate the remaining 79 Australians in Gaza, after 25 made it out via the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
