ISRAELI warplanes have struck targets across Gaza, including in areas where Palestinian civilians have been told to seek refuge, after another small aid shipment was allowed into the Hamas-ruled territory.
Israel is widely expected to launch a ground offensive in Gaza and it says it has stepped up air strikes in order to reduce the risk to troops in the next stages.
Fears of a widening war have escalated as Israeli planes struck targets in the occupied West Bank, Syria and Lebanon in recent days.
It comes as world leaders, including Rishi Sunak (below) and Joe Biden along with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Canada, called on Israel to respect international humanitarian law and demanded the release of hostages held by Hamas and pushed for aid for Gaza.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The leaders reiterated their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.
“They welcomed the release of two hostages and called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages.”
The first aid convoys reached Gaza through the border with Egypt over the weekend with 20 trucks on Saturday and a further 14 on Sunday.
However, the UN said much more was needed and the Rafah border crossing is still not open for foreign nationals seeking to flee.
The No 10 spokeswoman said the leaders “committed to close co-ordination to support their nationals in the region, in particular those wishing to leave Gaza”.
“The leaders welcomed the announcement of the first humanitarian convoys to reach Palestinians in Gaza and committed to continue co-ordinating with partners in the region to ensure sustained and safe access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance required to meet humanitarian needs.”
The leaders “committed to continue close diplomatic co-ordination, including with key partners in the region, to prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East, and work toward a political solution and durable peace”.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in northern Israel on Sunday that if Hezbollah launches a war, “it will make the mistake of its life”.
He added: “We will cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the consequences for it and the Lebanese state will be devastating.”
Relief workers said far more aid was needed to address the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where 2.3 million people have fled their homes.
The UN humanitarian agency said the 20 trucks that entered on Saturday amounted to 4% of an average day’s imports before the war and “a fraction of what is needed after 13 days of complete siege”.
The Israeli military said the humanitarian situation was “under control” even as the UN called for 100 trucks a day to enter.
Israel has not allowed any fuel to enter Gaza, where there has been a full power blackout for more than a week and where hospitals say they are scrounging for generator fuel in order to keep operating life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies.
The World Health Organisation said seven hospitals in northern Gaza have been forced to shut down due to damage from strikes, lack of power and supplies, or Israeli evacuation orders.
The lack of fuel has also crippled water and sanitation systems. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in UN-run schools and tent camps are running low on food and are drinking dirty water.
Israel repeated its calls for people to leave northern Gaza, including by dropping leaflets from the air. It estimated 700,000 have already fled but hundreds of thousands remain.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel “can’t go back to the status quo” in which Hamas controls Gaza and is able to threaten it but that Israel has “absolutely no intent” to govern Gaza itself.
“Something needs to be found that ensures that Hamas can’t do this again, but that also doesn’t revert to Israeli governance of Gaza,” he told NBC on Sunday. “It’s something that needs to be worked even as Israel is dealing with the current threat.”
