Top US diplomat Antony Blinken called for localised pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza as Israel said it surrounded the Palestinian enclave's biggest city and the focus of its drive to annihilate Hamas.
Mounting casualties among Palestinian civilians, along with acute shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, have intensified calls by global leaders for a pause in fighting or a ceasefire.
Israel has dismissed those calls, saying it targets Hamas fighters whom it accuses of intentionally hiding among the population and civilian buildings. The White House has also rejected calls for a ceasefire.
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