Israel's bombing campaign has killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and reduced swathes of the densely-populated territory to smouldering ruins.
RAFAH, Palestinian Territories - Israel's military announced intensified strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza ahead of a planned ground invasion, as the Pentagon said Sunday it was bolstering defences in the Middle East over "escalations" by Iran and its allies.
Over 40% of all housing has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN citing local authorities, and Israel has halted the delivery of food, water, fuel and electricity. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to remain in and around Gaza City in the north, unwilling or unable to leave. A ground invasion poses myriad challenges for Israeli troops, who are likely to face Hamas booby traps and tunnels and must also weigh the safety of over 200 hostages abducted by the militants.
After negotiations and US pressure, food, water and medicine, but no fuel, crossed from Egypt into Gaza on Saturday."Gaza was a desperate humanitarian situation before the most recent hostilities," five UN agencies said in a statement.At a peace summit in Egypt, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged a humanitarian ceasefire "to end this godawful nightmare."
The scale of the bombing has left basic systems unable to function, with the UN reporting dozens of unidentified bodies were buried in a mass grave in Gaza City because cold storage had run out.
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