Israel continues carnage in Gaza; kills 44 more in a day
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Representational.
Deir Al-Balah/Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 44 people across Gaza, health officials said Saturday, as international pressure grows for a ceasefire but Israel's leader remains defiant about continuing the war, the Associated Press reported.
Among the dead were nine from the same family in a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to staff at Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Five others were killed when a strike hit a tent for the displaced, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the dead.
Israel's army said they were not aware of anyone being killed by gunfire on Saturday in southern Gaza, and didn't provide immediate comment about the airstrikes.
The director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City told The Associated Press that medical teams there were concerned about Israeli “tanks approaching the vicinity of the hospital,” restricting access to the facility where 159 patients are being treated.
“The bombardment has not stopped for a single moment," Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.
He added that 14 premature babies were treated in incubators in Helou Hospital, though the head of neonatal intensive care there, Dr Nasser Bulbul, has said that the facility's main gate was closed because of drones flying over the building.
International pressure on Israel to end the war is increasing, as is Israel's isolation, with a growing list of countries deciding recently to recognise Palestinian statehood, which Israel rejects.
Yet, Israel is pressing ahead with another major ground operation in Gaza City, which experts say is experiencing famine. More than 300,000 people have fled, but up to 700,000 are still there, many because they can't afford to relocate.
