Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip continued late into the night on Friday, with reports of sustained air strikes and bombardments.
An Israeli air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least 18 people, according to Palestinian media.
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In New York, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution urging more humanitarian aid for Gaza.
However the motion fell short of calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war.
The UN’s World Food Programme says that about a quarter of all households in Gaza – roughly 500,000 people – are facing “catastrophic hunger conditions”, with food and water running out.
Israel began its offensive after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 240 others
At least 20,000 people have been killed and 50,000 injured in the Gaza Strip since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
Israel’s military has expressed regret for the killing of civilians but has blamed Hamas for operating in densely populated areas or using civilians as human shields, which the group denies.
The US and Russia abstained, while the 13 other members of the council – including the UK, which had previously abstained on a similar resolution – backed the text that now calls for creating conditions “for a sustainable cessation of hostilities”.
The resolution demanded that parties “allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian population throughout the Gaza Strip”.
The resolution calls for the appointment of a co-ordinator to oversee a UN mechanism that will be set up with the goal of speeding up the distribution of aid.
