The killing of Mohammed Sinwar marks the end of the secretive group that planned the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of protesters, including families with children, gathered in the Netherlands on Sunday to oppose Israel's siege of Gaza and the Dutch government's policy on the war.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said Iran, its strategic ally, was "paying the price" for supporting militant groups in Gaza in their decades-long struggle against Israel, after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Friday against Iran.

The war began when Hamas-led terrorists killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens more.

The group, which has been harshly criticized by the U.N. and other aid providers, said at least five people had died in an attack on one of its buses.

The bodies of two more Israeli hostages were recovered in Gaza. It serves as a grim reminder of the human cost of the war, now 600-plus days into the carnage. How will it end? And what is the future for Palestinians,

Now, as the presumed new Hamas commander in Gaza, Izz al-Din al-Haddad holds the fate of the hostages and, to a large extent, the entire Strip in his blood-stained hands. “He was always recognised by our people as one of the more capable commanders,” said Maj Gen Yaakov Amidror, Israel’s former national security adviser.

The Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said the threats had made it “impossible to proceed” with food distribution. Hamas denied the accusation and accused the group of lacking neutrality.

Israel's leader says arming "clans in Gaza" to help fight Hamas will save lives. Opposition leaders say the weapons "will eventually be turned against" Israelis.

U.N. member nations have voted overwhelmingly to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and unrestricted access for the delivery of desperately needed food.