US officials are pushing Israel to stop the war in Gaza, saying its military has achieved all it can to weaken Hamas and further attacks will only hurt civilians. Security experts say Israel’s military has significantly reduced Hamas’ power but it will never be able to eradicate the group. The Biden administration is keen to get ceasefire talks back on track, but Hamas refused to attend the latest round saying it will “not engage in negotiations for the sake of negotiations in order to provide cover for Israel to continue its war”. The death toll from the war has now passed 40,000 according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Here in Oz, the Coalition is doubling down on its push for a ban on Palestinian visas until stricter security checks are enforced, but it’s proving controversial… Independent MP Dai Le – who came to Australia as a Vietnamese refugee – says the debate is “triggering” and pollies shouldn’t label Palestinians as “all terrorists”.