Relatives plead for release of Hamas-held hostages at conference in France

"We want you and all the world to be human and do whatever you can to bring them back home," says Moran Betzer Tayar, wracked by anguish after the kidnapping of her nephew and his wife by Palestinian Hamas militants on 7 October.

The 54-year-old is on a European tour with other relatives of hostages taken by Hamas during a raid that killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.

Israel's retaliation has so far killed more than 6,500 people in Gaza, mostly civilians.

There are fears the toll could further soar if Israel pushes ahead with a widely-expected ground invasion in a bid to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages.