UN resolution urges more Gaza aid as war takes toll on civilians

The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, called the council's resolution "a step in the right direction", but said it "must be accompanied by massive pressure for an immediate ceasefire".

But Hamas n a statement described it as "an insufficient measure that does not respond to the catastrophic situation created by the Zionist (Israeli) war machine".

UN chief Antonio Guterres said after the vote that "the way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza".

The fighting has displaced 1.9 million Gazans according to UN figures, out of a population of 2.4 million, and put out of action most of the 36 hospitals in the territory. Nine remain partly functioning, the World Health Organization says.

The UN agency's head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on social media that "hunger is present, and famine is looming in Gaza."

"Four out of five households in northern Gaza, and half of the displaced households in the south, are going entire days and nights without eating. This is heartbreaking."

Urban warfare

With swathes of Gaza reduced to rubble, the displaced have been forced into crowded shelters or tents, and are struggling to find food, fuel, water and medical supplies.

According to the UN, the number of aid trucks entering Gaza is well below the daily pre-war average.

Last week Israel approved aid delivery via Kerem Shalom crossing, and the army says on average 80 trucks enter Gaza through it daily.

Journalists in a media tour of the facility on Friday, organised by the Israeli military, could see a miles-long queue of aid trucks held up for hours as they awaited inspection by soldiers.

Egyptian driver Said Abdel Hamid seemed unfazed by the wait, saying he was "proud to bring help to my Palestinian brothers" as he removed the tarpaulin sheet covering his flour cargo for examination.

In north Gaza, parts of Gaza City including Shujaiya have seen street-by-street combat -- even building-by-building -- between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters.

According to the military, the deaths of two more soldiers in Gaza brought to 139 the number killed since it began its ground assault on October 27.

Israel said another of its troops was killed on Friday by rocket fire from Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah and other groups have carried out near-daily cross-border assaults in support of Hamas.

Hezbollah said two of its fighters were killed Friday.

Beyond regular exchanges of fire across the Lebanon border, the war has also sparked fears of wider conflict with missiles from Iran-backed Yemeni rebels -- claiming to act in solidarity with Gazans -- disrupting Red Sea shipping.

The United States accused Tehran of being involved in the attacks. "We know that Iran was deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea," National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

'Not a life'

The area around the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza has been a focus of Israeli military operations which "intensified" over the past week, a military spokesperson said.

An evacuation order issued Friday by the army told residents to evacuate the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and move further south to Deir al-Balah city.

Many Gazans have fled as far south as they can but say they cannot find safety.

Donkey carts creaked with their belongings as Palestinians leaving the Bureij refugee camp passed through the streets.

"This is not a life: no water, no food, nothing," said Walaa al-Medini, who had been injured in a strike on her home in Gaza City and uses a wheelchair.

"My daughter died in my lap, and I was rescued from under the rubble after three hours," she said. "Our house, along with everything around us, was destroyed."

UN special rapporteur Paula Gaviria Betancur said that "Israel's military operation in Gaza aims to deport the majority of the civilian population en masse" -- claims Israel has denied before.

A one-week truce that ended on December 1 saw 105 hostages released from Gaza captivity, including 80 Israelis in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

A US-Israeli man believed to have been taken captive by Hamas militants on October 7 was killed on the day of the attack, his kibbutz community said Friday.

Gad Haggai, 73, was a flautist. His 70-year-old wife remains a captive.