Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and US President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11 months of fighting.

In his first public address since Sunday’s mass protests showed many Israelis’ furious response to the discovery of six more dead captives, Netanyahu said he would continue to insist on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking point in talks – continued Israeli control of the
Philadelphi corridor, a narrow band along Gaza’s border with Egypt where Israel contends Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza.

Egypt and Hamas deny it.

Al Jazeera.