TRANSCRIPT
It's been five months now since Hamas militants rampaged through a rave festival in Israel, killing and kidnapping revellers.
Israelis are increasingly frustrated that some 133 hostages are still being held by Hamas.
These relatives have chanted and carried photos of their loved ones in a protest outside the Israeli Defence Ministry headquarters.
Rotem Cooper says they don't believe enough has been done to bring them home.
"We are very concerned that although they are saying that the hostages are very important; in reality it doesn't look like based on their action that is high enough priority. And five months went by, many hostages died during this time and it's simply unacceptable."
The release of hostages has been one of the major concerns discussed over the past few days in ceasefire talks in Cairo.
The negotiations are expected to resume on Sunday, a deadline that mediators have set for the two sides to respond to the current 40-day truce proposal.
United States officials have blamed Hamas of slowing the talks because they will not agree to free sick and elderly captives, while Hamas has accused Israel of trying to secure the release of hostages without agreeing to other conditions.
But US President Joe Biden has repeatedly said the onus is on Hamas to agree to terms - especially as the fasting month of Ramadan approaches, which some fear could be a flashpoint for violence.
"It's in the hands of Hamas right now. The Israelis have been cooperating. There's an offer out there that's rational... There's got to be a ceasefire."
Meanwhile, concerns have continued over the delivery of aid.
Aid agencies have reported desperate crowds increasingly stopping and looting food aid trucks arriving by road.
Displaced Gazans like Manar Jerjawi say they're on the brink of starvation - and they need help.
"There is no food, no water, the children are suffering. They always say, 'I want to eat'. You go searching in the neighbourhood for flour... If you find it with your neighbour, or find it after searching from one neighbourhood to another, you can't bake it. There is no water."
Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies except for a trickle of aid entering the south from Egypt at the Rafah crossing and Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing.
William Schomburg is the head of the Red Cross sub-delegation, and says their job is increasingly impossible by the current limitations.
"Operating in this type of environment is extremely challenging. And it's really the responsibilities of the parties to the conflict to enable humanitarian organisations to be able to meet the needs of civilians, and civilians themselves should never be a target. On this, the rules of war are very clear."
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has accused Western nations of failing to stand up for the people of Gaza.
He says the tragedy has "laid bare" what he's described as "the frequently self-serving nature" of the international rules-based order.
The Prime Minister believes politics has trumped the application of international and humanitarian law in this instance.
"The differing responses by the West to human suffering defies reasoning. Why, for example, has the West been so vociferous, vehement, and unequivocal in the condemnation of the Russia invasion of Ukraine, while remaining utterly silent on the relentless, bloodletting inflicted on innocent men, women and children of Gaza.”
The US has pushed ahead with air drops of food and other aid in the north of the enclave, alongside the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
President Joe Biden is also expected to confirm in his State of the Union address plans to build a temporary port on Gaza's Mediterranean coast, to allow for an increase in aid deliveries to arrive by sea.
Spain has announced plans to the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency UNWRA an additional 20 million euros - or $33 million in Australian dollars - to cover the cost of aid.
The agency's Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini says more is needed.
"Spain is very much also leading by example. When Spain is saying that an agency like being the lifeline of the Palestinian refugees, is indispensable specially under these circumstances."
That's put more pressure on Australia and other Western nations to reinstate their funding pledge, which was cut following misconduct allegations.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has flagged an aid package is imminent for Gaza, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has consistently defended Israel's right to self-defence - but also the provision of aid.
"We have expressed our deep concern about the humanitarian crisis that we see ongoing in Gaza. We remain concerned about that. We want, as we have said on numerous occasions, we want humanitarian assistance to be able to be delivered to the people of Gaza."
