Israel on Saturday resumed its campaign of bombing targets in Gaza, with aid workers stating that the humanitarian system in the occupied territory is on the verge of collapse, with the death toll rising to 17,490 people, mostly women and children.
The latest Israeli action saw a strike kill six people in the southern Gazan neighbourhood of Khan Younis.
Another five were killed in a separate attack in Rafah, the Palestinian health ministry said.
It added that, over the past 24 hours, at least 71 dead and 160 wounded had been brought to the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah city following persistent bombings. It caveated those figures by stating that only those martyrs and wounded were being reported who managed to reach the operational medical facilities, noting that there remain a large number of people trapped under the rubble of houses which have been destroyed by Israel and can no longer be accessed.
Palestinian Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr Ashraf Al-Qudra said that the medical staff faces an acute shortage of medical equipment to treat patients.
He stated that Israeli forces have surrounded the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, with snipers occupying positions in surrounding buildings.
Dr Al-Qudra stated that the medical staff inside the hospital and the patients have run out of water, food and medical supplies for treatment.
He urged all health work partners to establish medical points and mobile clinics in the western regions of Khan Yunis and Rafah to provide health care to the displaced because of their inability to access health services.
He said no medical facilities were available at the Shifa complex, as all medical services there had been destroyed.
The official warned that there could be a "major catastrophe" if the remaining healthcare services in southern Gaza are also brought to a halt.
Starvation and disease are threatening people, health workers warned.
Hamas, meanwhile, claimed attacking several Israeli military vehicles using rockets and attacking Israeli soldiers using anti-personnel explosives across northern Gaza.
Israelis fear war could spread
Israelis living near the border with Lebanon are fearing a prolonged campaign as the violence from Gaza threatens to spiral into a regional conflict involving Lebanon.
Israel has been trading fire with Lebanon since Hamas launched its offensive in Gaza on October 7. But the exchanges have become more frequent and more deadly along the border with Lebanon over the past two months.
At least 120 people have been killed on the Lebanese side while at least 10 Israelis have been killed, including six soldiers.
US vetoes ceasefire
The United States on Friday continued its tradition of backing Israel at the United Nations, as it blocked a resolution in the Security Council, calling for an urgent, humanitarian ceasefire.
The resolution had been tabled before the Security Council after United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter to bring to the council's attention "any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.". He cited the grave loss of human lives in a short period. He expressed regret that no significant humanitarian aid has been delivered to Gaza since the breakdown of the humanitarian pause last week.
This is the first time in decades that a UN secretary-general has invoked Article 99.
But when the resolution was tabled, US Envoy Robert Wood termed it "divorced from reality" and asserted that it would not have "moved the forward on the ground".
Noting that the resolution called for an unconditional ceasefire, he argued that it would "leave Hamas in place able to repeat what it did on October 7".
He criticised the resolution's sponsors for rushing it through and leaving the call for an unconditional ceasefire unchanged.
A permanent member, the US exercised its veto rights to block the resolution. The UK, which also holds power for veto, abstained from voting. 13 other members voted in favour of the resolution.
UAE, one of the sponsors of the resolution, noted its deep disappointment at the defeat of the resolution due to a veto.
"This council is unable to demand a humanitarian ceasefire," the UAE representative noted.
Palestine's representative to the United Nations Riyad Mansour, asserted that those who support the war on Palestinians, in effect, support crimes against humanity.
Russia's deputy envoy deemed the American veto equivalent to issuing a "death sentence to thousands, if not tens of thousands, more civilians in Palestine."
Medecins Sans Frontiers said Security Council inaction made the body "complicit in the ongoing slaughter", while Human Rights Watch said "by continuing to provide Israel with weapons and diplomatic cover... the US risks complicity in war crimes."