Pressure over ceasefire grows as conditions worsen for Palestinians in Gaza

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah (AP)

International pressure is growing for Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal after nearly five months of fighting left much of Gaza in ruins, creating a worsening humanitarian catastrophe with many people scrambling for food to survive.

The US, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker an agreement in which Hamas would release up to 40 hostages in return for a six-week ceasefire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and an major influx of aid to the isolated territory.