Britain warned Israel on Monday to take “all possible measures to minimise civilian casualties” amid reports that it was intensifying its attacks on Gaza.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps stressed that he and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant had held talks over the military strikes in response to the Islamic State-style mass killings of more than 1,300 Israelis, including babies and children, by the Hamas terror group in a series of attacks which left 3,200 more injured.
The Cabinet minister tweeted: “I’ve spoken to Israel’s Defence Minister to reaffirm UK support for their right to self defence against Hamas terrorists & make clear that operations must be conducted under international law & proportionally, with all possible measures taken to minimise civilian casualties.”
Authorities in Gaza said at least 2,750 people had so far been killed by the ongoing Israeli strikes, a quarter of them children, and nearly 10,000 wounded. A further 1,000 people were missing and believed to be under rubble, they added.
Israeli forces kept up their bombardment of Gaza on Monday after diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire to allow foreign passport holders to leave and aid to be brought into the besieged Palestinian enclave failed.
Residents of Hamas-ruled Gaza said overnight air strikes were the heaviest yet as the conflict entered its 10th day with an Israeli ground offensive believed to be imminent.
Bombing carried on through the day, they said, and a number of buildings were flattened, trapping yet more people under the rubble.
Israeli officials issued multiple warnings of Hamas rocket fire into Israel.
Diplomatic efforts have been underway to get aid into the besieged strip, which has endured unrelenting Israeli bombing since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas fanatics that killed 1,300 people - the bloodiest single day in the state’s 75-year history.
But Israel’s chief military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said there was no Gaza ceasefire and that Israel was continuing its operations.
“There are no such efforts under way at this time. If anything changes we will inform the public. We are continuing our fight against Hamas, this murderous organisation that carried this (the assaults) out,” he said.
Israel has imposed a full blockade and is preparing a ground invasion to enter Gaza and destroy Hamas, which has continued to fire rockets at Israel since its brief cross-border assault.
On Monday, rocket-warning sirens sounded in several towns in southern Israel, the Israeli military said.
Israeli troops and tanks are already massed on the border.
With food, fuel and water running short, hundreds of tons of aid from several countries have been held up in Egypt pending a deal for its safe delivery to Gaza and the evacuation of some foreign passport holders through the Rafah border crossing.
Earlier on Monday, Egyptian security sources said an agreement had been reached to open the crossing to allow aid into the enclave.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said in a statement: “There is currently no truce and humanitarian aid in Gaza in exchange for getting foreigners out.”
Egypt has said the crossing was rendered inoperable due to Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday the Israeli government had yet to take a stance that allowed the crossing to open.
The United States had told its citizens in Gaza to go to the crossing, where some British citizens have also gathered.
Attempts were also underway to secure the release of 199 hostages that Israel says were taken by Hamas back into Gaza. Among them are elderly people, women and children and foreigners, including Americans.
US President Joe Biden has sent military aid to Israel but also stressed the need to get humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians and urged Israel to follow the rules of war in its response to the Hamas attacks and not to re-occupy Gaza.
In Gaza’s north, where Israel says Hamas terrorists are hiding in an elaborate tunnel network, local people said Israeli aircraft bombed areas around the Al-Quds hospital early on Monday. Surrounding houses were damaged, forcing hundreds of people to take shelter in the Red Crescent-run hospital.
Israeli planes also bombed three headquarters of the Civil Emergency and Ambulance Service in Gaza City, killing five people and paralysing the rescue services in those areas, health officials said.
Israel has urged around one million Gazans to evacuate south, which hundreds of thousands have already done in the enclave, home to about 2.3 million people. Hamas has told people to ignore Israel’s message and residents fear Israeli air strikes in southern Gaza too.
