Israel army chief says Gaza war 'will last many more months'

Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi warns its war with Hamas will last "many more months" as the military steps up strikes inside the Gaza Strip.

Despite mounting concerns over a spiralling humanitarian crisis inside the besieged Palestinian territory and fears of wider regional escalation, Israel's leaders have repeatedly vowed to keep up their offensive until the militant group is destroyed.

The war erupted when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October and killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures, and took around 250 hostages.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 20,915 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll issued by Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.