Buildings are destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on August 24, 2024 (Photo: Xinhua/ VNA)

Seven Palestinians were killed in two Israeli air strikes on Gaza City, Palestinian officials said on Monday, while two air strikes killed six others in Bureij and Nuseirat, two of the Gaza Strip's eight historic refugee camps.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would maintain Israel's presence along the Philadelphi corridor which separates the Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. In a press conference in Jerusalem on Monday, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's control of the corridor is vital to ensure the militant group cannot rearm via tunnels and described the Philadelphi corridor as the "oxygen and armament of Hamas".

Prime Minister Netanyahu's statement immediately faced strong criticism from many opposition leaders in Israel, including Yair Lapid, Avigdor Liberman, Benny Gantz. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to pursue the control of the Philadelphia corridor only hindered progress towards a hostage exchange agreement and prolonged the war.

Thousands have joined demonstrations calling for PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to sign a ceasefire and captives swap deal.

On September 1, hundreds of thousands of people in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem took to the streets after Israel said it recovered the bodies of six hostages in Rafah of Gaza strip.

In another development, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday the country's warplanes attacked at least 10 rocket launchers and an observation post of the Hezbollah Movement in southern Lebanon, as they considered it a clear threat to Israeli civilians.

Earlier, the Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah military structures in the areas of Yaroun, Ayta ash Shab, Hanine, Tayr Harfa and Blida in southern Lebanon.