Live blog: Gaza under attack
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Reports and YoutTube clips coming in of bodies lying in the streets of al-Sujahiyya after continuous overnight bombardment. The death toll is at least 20 but rising rapidly. AFP reports that ambulances are unable to reach much of the area along the border because of heavy fire. Survivors are streaming out on foot. Emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra says casualties are expected to rise significantly. Shelling is still intense and there is the sound of small arms fire.
The Israeli military claim to have thwarted an attempt by Hamas to invade Israel through underground tunnels to "massacre civilians in an Israeli community."
In the ensuing gunfire one Hamas fighter was killed and another fled back to Gaza.
MEE's reporter Mohammed Omar reports that eletricity is still out in most of the Gaza Strip.
"Technical teams are not allowed to fix the damages. Electricity company say 13 lines were hit by Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling. This leaves Gaza with 90% electricity deficit. The 10% is not enough to bring electricity for 2 hours at max. This means 22 hours of blackout. One could notice this through the very low contribution of youth on social media and also media from Gaza. No much is getting outside of Gaza. This will also affect both water and sewage in Gaza. This situation is likely to continue as it is, if not worse, particularly that ICRC tried to coordinate for technical teams to fix damages, but Israel refused."
Egypt has no plans to revise its ceasefire proposal to end fighting between Israel and the Hamas, Cairo's foreign minister said on Saturday.
"It provides the needs of all sides and we will continue offering it and we hope to get their support as soon as possible," said Sameh Shukri at a news conference with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius.
Khaled Meshaal calls for siege to be lifted
Haaretz is reporting Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal as saying the group will not agree to a cease-fire until Israel lifts the economic siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.
He also called to free detainees who were rearrested after being released in the Shalit prisoner swap.
Hamas also wants Egypt to show flexibility in opening the Rafah Crossing.
He said he was willing to discuss any deal based on these demands, adding that Qatar and Turkey were also taking part in the mediation efforts alongside Egypt.
Khaled Meshaal calls for siege to be lifted
Haaretz is reporting Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal as saying the group will not agree to a cease-fire until Israel lifts the economic siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.
He also called to free detainees who were rearrested after being released in the Shalit prisoner swap.
Hamas also wants Egypt to show flexibility in opening the Rafah Crossing.
He said he was willing to discuss any deal based on these demands, adding that Qatar and Turkey were also taking part in the mediation efforts alongside Egypt.
Haaretz is reporting Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal as saying the group will not agree to a cease-fire until Israel lifts the economic siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.
He also called to free detainees who were rearrested after being released in the Shalit prisoner swap.
Hamas also wants Egypt to show flexibility in opening the Rafah Crossing.
He said he was willing to discuss any deal based on these demands, adding that Qatar and Turkey were also taking part in the mediation efforts alongside Egypt.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has condemned Israel's assault on Gaza as "genocide" during a visit to Peru.
"What is happening in Palestine is genocide. Some are saying that it should be investigated. There is no need to investigate if they (Israel) don't punish the instigators and perpetrators of genocide."
AFP: Breaking news - Israeli troops clash with Gaza militants at border.
- Palestinian death toll has reached 318, according to the Gaza health ministry.
- Around 2,283 Palestinians have been wounded
- Two Palestinians were killed in fresh Israeli air strikes in Gaza on Saturday morning, among them a six-year-old child.
- The two new deaths were a man killed north of Gaza City and a six-year-old child killed in the northern Gaza area of Beit Lahiya.
- Israeli death toll currently stands at 2, with one civilian and one soldier killed, the latter due to friendly fire.
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is to leave for the Middle East on Saturday to discuss the escalating conflict
Clashes broke out late on Friday between fighters from Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, and an Israeli army force northern the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.
"Our mujahedeen are now in battle with an Israeli force in northern Beit Hanoun," the brigades said in a statement.
Noise from the clashes can be clearly heard in northern Gaza, eyewitnesses said, noting that Israeli helicopters and artillery are taking part in the confrontation, whereas the Al-Qassam members use machine guns and anti-tank missiles.
"Clashes came to an end after the Israelis withdraw," one witness told Anadolu Agency from Beit Hanoun.
Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that its fighters had surprised an Israeli force that had infiltrated into eastern Rafah and forced it to retreat after inflicting "confirmed" casualties among the Israelis.
The brigades said earlier that it had blown up five explosive charges at a special Israeli unit that had staged an incursion into Beit Lahia in the northern the Gaza Strip.
The group said it had also fired five rockets at concentrations of Israeli soldiers northern the Gaza Strip.