'Civil order' collapse in Gaza warned

GAZA STRIP — Palestinians in northern Gaza reported fierce air and artillery strikes on Monday as Israeli troops backed by tanks pressed into the enclave with a ground operation that prompted more international calls for civilians to be protected.

Hamas said on Sunday that it was engaged in "heavy fighting" with Israeli troops inside northern Gaza, as besieged residents were again warned to flee southward. The Israeli army said on Monday that its forces killed "dozens" of militants in clashes through the night.

The United Nations warned that "civil order" was starting to break down in Gaza after thousands of people ransacked its food warehouses there, taking wheat, flour and other supplies.

After weeks of ferocious airstrikes, Israel has declared a new "stage" in a conflict that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned would be "long and difficult".

Israeli airstrikes hit areas near Gaza's Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli forces in a border area east of the city of Khan Younis in the south, Palestinian media reported.

In 23 days, at least 8,005 Palestinians, including 3,342 children, 2,062 women and 460 elderly people, have lost their lives in the Israeli airstrikes, according to the Palestinian health authorities in Gaza.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has warned Israel's "crimes have crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action".

The stepped-up attacks coincided with a mounting international outcry for a "humanitarian pause "to allow aid in.

On Friday the 193-member UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to call for an immediate humanitarian truce.

China's positive role

The results reflected the strong call of the international community for a cease-fire and an end to the conflict, and has also reflected which side people support on the issue of war and peace, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

China hopes the resolution will be comprehensively implemented to resume regional peace and stability, ease the humanitarian situation and effectively guarantee the security of civilians, Wang told a daily news conference.

Since the escalation of the conflict, China has been calling for ending hostilities and violence and opening up humanitarian rescue corridors to protect civilians and avoid severe humanitarian disaster, he said.

China has been playing a positive and constructive role in promoting a comprehensive, impartial and lasting solution to the Palestine issue, he added.

On Monday, the UN Security Council was due to be briefed on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The 15-member body has unsuccessfully voted four times in the past two weeks on draft resolutions that aimed to take action on the conflict.

Israel has tightened its blockade of Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed into Israel three weeks ago when Israeli authorities said the militants killed some 1,400 people.

There is deep and growing international concern about the toll of Israel's campaign on Gaza's residents numbering more than 2 million.

Dwindling resources

In the enclave, Palestinian civilians are in dire need of fuel, food and clean water as the conflict enters its fourth week.

Inside Gaza's maze of streets, rubble and hulled-out buildings, there is a growing sense of panic, fear and desperation.

Ibrahim Shandoughli, a 53-year-old from Jabaliya in northern Gaza, asked why he would head south when that area is also being bombed.

"Where do you want us to evacuate to? All the areas are dangerous," he said.

Mohammed al-Harazin, another Gaza-based man, said: "Since the beginning of the current 'mad war', I have mourned more than 200 people, they were my family members and relatives ... Women cannot stop crying over the sudden loss of their loved ones."

On Sunday, the desperation appeared to boil over.

The UN reported that "thousands of people" had ransacked several of its warehouses looking for tinned food, flour, oil and hygiene supplies.

Only a trickle of aid has been allowed to cross the border from Egypt. Since the conflict began, only 84 aid trucks have entered Gaza.

The UN said 33 trucks carrying water, food, and medical supplies had entered Gaza on Sunday.

It is one of the largest deliveries to date, but still far short of the 100-a-day aid groups say is needed.

International Criminal Court lead prosecutor Karim Khan told Israel on Sunday that preventing access to humanitarian aid could be a "crime".

US President Joe Biden pressed Netanyahu in a call on Sunday to protect civilians in Gaza and "immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian aid", the White House said.

The conflict has also spurred large demonstrations worldwide in support of the Palestinians. On Sunday several thousand people rallied in Beirut to show solidarity with Gaza.

Zhou Jin in Beijing contributed to this story.

Agencies - Xinhua