TRANSCRIPT
The Gaza Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza since the 7th of October last year now exceeds 42,000 with nearly 98,000 injured.
Thousands more are believed to be buried beneath the rubble.
Slightly more than half of those killed are reportedly women and children.
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in a further 56 deaths and 278 injuries.
Among the dead are this woman's son and husband.
“We are from the Beit Lahia area, and there was heavy shelling there. The ambulances came and my husband and son went to evacuate the injured. When I arrived, I found my husband and his brother covered in blood, and I found my son without a face. I was in shock and screamed at the ambulances. My husband is dead and my son is dead.”
This comes as U-S President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had their first call in seven weeks, discussing Israel’s expanding operations in Lebanon and its plans to respond to Iran’s missile strike.
U-S Vice President Kamala Harris joined the 30-minute call.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the meeting was productive.
"As you all know, the U.S and the Israeli government have been discussing have had discussion, since last week, after, certainly since after the Iran attack. And so that those discussions continued, with the president and the prime minister. Certainly not going to get into those, discussions. ... It was productive. It was direct. It lasted about 30 minutes. And this is on top of, more than a dozen calls that the president and prime minister have had, since, October 7th of last year."
Tensions between Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu are rising, with the Israeli prime minister ignoring U-S calls for ceasefires to pause fighting, potentially release hostages held by Hamas, and reduce clashes with Hezbollah.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says his government will continue its campaign to secure Israel.
In response to Iran's missile attack on the 1st of October which saw it launch 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, Mr Gallant says Israel's response will be surprising.
"Just as we have been doing until now in the war on all other fronts: Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay a price. Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened. They will see the results."
Meanwhile, Israel's U-N Ambassador, Danny Danon, says a stabbing attack in Hadera in Israel has resulted in several injuries.
“It is Wednesday night in Israel now, and we are once again being reminded of the relentless terror we face. Today six innocent people were injured, two of them still in critical condition, in a brutal mass stabbing attack in the city of Hadera, a little bit south of Haifa."
Police describe the incident as a terrorist attack, with the suspect, an Israeli national, killed at the scene.
Mr Danon says an Israeli couple were also killed by Hezbollah rockets.
"In Kiryat Shmona, Hezbollah’s rockets murdered a man and a woman who were simply walking their dog. And yet, even as Hezbollah continues their murderous campaign, senior Hezbollah officials have the audacity to demand that Israel cease fire. Let me be clear about that: No one should mistake the arrogance of these terrorists for diplomacy. Hezbollah calls for a cease fire while simultaneously murdering Israeli civilians with their rockets.”
The I-D-F is continuing airstrikes on Hezbollah-controlled areas in Beirut, killing 36 people and injuring 150 over the past day.
The death toll in Lebanon from Israeli strikes now stands at 2,119, with 1,019 wounded since the 7th of October last year, the majority of the casualties happening over the past three weeks.
The IDF says it has struck 230 targets in Lebanon and Gaza over the previous 24 hours, dismantling Hezbollah and Hamas infrastructure and eliminating militants.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warned that Israel's evacuation orders in northern Gaza are worsening the humanitarian crisis, with over 400,000 people trapped.
"The latest developments in the north are especially alarming. Hundreds of thousands of people are again being pushed to move to the south where living conditions are intolerable. And yet again, Gazans are teetering on the edge of a man-made famine."
Many Gazans are refusing to leave due to the lack of safety elsewhere in Gaza, and U-N shelters are closing as supplies dwindle.
Mr Lazzarini also says the deaths of U-N staff in Gaza is having a major impact on its ability to help civilians.
"The blatant disregard for international humanitarian law and a near-total breakdown of civil order is crippling the humanitarian response in Gaza. Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world for aid workers. 226 UNRWA personnel have been killed in 12 months."
Mr Danon denies his country is restricting aid.
"Israel imposes no restrictions on humanitarian aid. In fact, 82 per cent of all requests for humanitarian coordination have been approved and implemented."
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera is reporting that one of its cameramen, Ali al-Attar, was critically wounded in a hospital bombing in Gaza.
At least 128 journalists have been killed and 35 injured since the conflict in Gaza began.
