If the IDF has nothing to hide, it should allow international journalists in

Escalating Israel's military operation in Gaza to the max - which is reportedly what Israel's prime minister is leaning towards - will stretch an already exhausted army.

No wonder Eyal Zamir, Israel's chief of staff, is reportedly reluctant to go down that route, however much of the messaging from the top has been that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will follow whatever the political echelon decides. No wonder, then, that IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani was reluctant to flesh out the implications of an expanded operation or what a full military "occupation" - touted now as having entered Benjamin Netanyahu's lexicon - will look like.

As he pointed out, Hamas benefits from international outrage over the spectre of famine in Gaza. It turns the tide of public opinion against Israel, taking the pressure off Hamas.

That may be, in part, why the latest round of ceasefire talks collapsed. The IDF refuses to accept responsibility for Gaza being on the brink of famine, instead accusing the UN of failing to do their part in an ongoing war of words, although Lt Col Shoshani acknowledged that distributing aid in a war zone is "not simple".

That is why it should have been left to experts in humanitarian aid distribution - the UN and its agencies, not to US military contractors. Given the large number of aid-related deaths reported daily, not just by Gaza's health ministry but also by doctors who are treating the injured and tying up the body bags, there should be greater accountability.

Lt Col Shoshani said the missing link is the proof that it is IDF soldiers doing the shooting. He is right.

If international journalists were granted access to Gaza, to support Palestinian colleagues whose every day involves both the danger of operating in a war zone and the search for food and supplies for their families, then there might be greater accountability. Read more about Gaza:Full Israeli occupation of Gaza could massively backfireRow over checks for Gazans who've earned places at UK unisSky News unveils pattern of deadly Israeli attacks on families It is not sufficient to claim that the IDF operates "in accordance with our values, with our procedures and with international law.