It came after the Israeli Defence Forces said it was launching new air and ground operations in the centre the Palestinian territory in an apparent widening of its offensive.
Palestinians mourn their relatives in front of the morgue of al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip.Videos circulating online appeared to show several wounded people being treated on the floor of the hospital, a common scene in Gaza's overwhelmed medical wards. UNRWA schools across Gaza have functioned as shelters since the start of the war, which has displaced most of the territory's population of 2.3 million Palestinians.
The latest war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. The United States has thrown its weight behind a phased ceasefire and hostage release outlined by President Joe Biden last week.Israel says it won’t end the war without destroying Hamas, however, while the militant group is demanding a lasting ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.