Evening update
Hello MEE readers.
The Israeli army concluded the second day of its military operation in Gaza with large-scale deadly attacks on overcrowded residential areas, taking the toll to at least 24 people killed since Friday, with at least 203 civilians having been wounded, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Four children and a teenager were killed in a suspected Israeli air strike that hit a residential area near a mosque in the overcrowded Jabalia refugee camp north of the Gaza Strip late on Saturday. The Israeli army denied conducting any air strikes in the area at the time of the blast, saying it was likely a misfired Palestinian rocket.
At the same time, another wave of heavy bombing hit Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip, with at least 30 people wounded. "The attack came with no warning, and multiple bombs hit the residential area," local journalist Wael Abu Omar said. "The wounded included elders, women and children."
Israel warned on Saturday that its deadly bombing campaign on Gaza could last a week, as cross-border fire reverberated for a second day in the worst escalation since last year’s war.
Earlier in the day, Gaza’s sole power plant said it was forced to close down, as Israel has prevented the entry of fuel trucks into Gaza for almost a week. This led the Palestinian health ministry to warn that health facilities in Gaza could be forced to shut down within 72 hours and called for the international community to put pressure on Israel to allow patients out of the enclave.
A Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, Sami Abu Shehadeh, slammed the Israeli military operation in Gaza as part of an election campaign by caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed hope that calm would be restored soon, saying that his government was trying to play a positive role through contacts with the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
"We are working with our partners to restore peace and stability in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Meanwhile, the international community has reacted to the Israeli assault on Gaza.
The UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, said he was "deeply concerned" by the escalating violence.
"There can be no justification for any attacks against civilians," he said.
Turkey condemned the air strikes, saying it was "unacceptable that civilians, including children, lose their lives in attacks".
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged calm from both sides but said US ally Israel had the right to defend itself.
"We certainly urge all sides to avoid further escalation… We absolutely fully support Israel's right to defend itself against terrorist groups that are taking the lives of innocent civilians in Israel," he said.
Russia, whose ties with Israel have been tested by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, appeared to pin initial blame on the Israelis.
"The new escalation was caused by Israeli army firing into the Gaza Strip on 5 August, to which Palestinian groups responded by carrying out massive and indiscriminate bombardments on Israeli territory," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
That's a wrap from the Middle East Eye team for now, please continue to follow us for more updates, and check out our Twitter and Instagram for the latest coverage.