Israeli fighter jets continued to pound the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding several more as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied calls for a de-escalation.
At least 230 Palestinians, including 65 children, have been killed in 11 days of violence.
On the Israeli side, 12 people have been killed.
United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday discussed the events in Gaza with Netanyahu, telling the caretaker leader that he expected “a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire”.
But shortly after Biden’s phone call, Netanyahu said he was “determined” to continue bombarding Gaza until Israel’s “aim is met”.
The UN Security Council’s efforts for a truce between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers remain stalled, meanwhile, with the US continuing to veto action on the issue.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by telephone on Thursday to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the current Israeli bombardment of Gaza, with both agreeing to support efforts to reach a ceasefire, Merkel’s spokesman said.
The two leaders “agreed that efforts for a speedy ceasefire should continue to be supported,” Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
“The chancellor underlined Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.”
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Safwat al-Khalout in Gaza reported that Israeli artillery shelling was intensifying in response to Hamas’ rockets fire into southern Israel.
“Hamas’ military wing says at least five rounds of rockets were fire into southern Israel including Ashkelon and Ashdod in the past hour or so,” he said.
The Israeli Defense forces said they struck two alleged “Hamas terror tunnels” that were under construction.
Gaza journalist Youmna Sayed reported that hospitals in the besieged territory were having a hard time coping due to lack of resources and mounting injuries.
“The ICU units are completely overcrowded. The al-Shifa hospital [main hospital in Gaza] has only 10 beds available and now they extended that 35 beds.” she said, adding that 26 people were brought to the hospital so far on Thursday.
However, with power and electricity shortage, the hospital was “having lots of difficulties in running equipment”, Sayed added.
UNWRA calls for $38m aid for Gaza, occupied territories
The United Nations agency UNRWA appealed for help revealing it needed nearly US $40 mln in order to assist with humanitarian efforts in Gaza and the occupied territories.
Human Rights Council to meet next week on Palestinian territories
The UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on May 27 to address “the grave human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”, the UN body said.
“The special session is being convened per an official request submitted late yesterday jointly by Pakistan, as Coordinator of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the State of Palestine,” it added in a statement.
Gaza doctors recount experiences as war rages
For more than 10 days, Palestinian doctors in the Gaza Strip’s main al-Shifa hospital have been working around the clock to save lives during the Israeli army’s relentless bombardment of the besieged enclave.
Al Jazeera spoke to doctors at the hospital about what it means, physically and emotionally, to work amid a raging conflict.
Norway fund dumps firms linked to occupied West Bank settlements
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has decided to dump two companies involved in the development of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, citing concerns about potential rights violations.
The fund will divest its holdings in the companies “due to unacceptable risk that the companies contribute to systematic violations of individuals’ rights in situations or war or conflict”, Norway’s central bank said in a statement late Wednesday.
The companies are Shapir Engineering and Industry, a home builder, and Mivne Real Estate, which rents industrial premises in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, Norway’s central bank said in a statement late Wednesday.
