TRANSCRIPT
In the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, Mother Mahmoud Wadi points to the pile of charred material and debris that is all that remains of the tent she and her family had been living in.
An Israeli airstrike struck near the near al-Aqsa Hospital compound, triggering a fire that engulfed the tents in the hospital courtyard where about 500 displaced Palestinians had been sheltering.
Ms Wadi says she is without shelter yet again.
(Arabic* then translated into English): "There's no safety, whether it’s a hospital, a school, or any place. Nearly five days ago, they hit a school, and today they hit the tents. Too many lives lost. Today, my tent is gone. What can we do? It was like an earthquake, a war."
Four people died in the fire, while 25 others have severe burns.
Aouni Khattab was sleeping inside a tent when an explosion woke him.
He says efforts were made to save those who were trapped in the fire that followed.
(Arabic then translated into English): " There were people trapped inside the fire, and we were unable to pull them out. A human being burning alive in front of your eyes, and you can't rescue him. Unfortunately, he turned to ashes."
Israel says it was responsible for the airstrike, declaring it was going after Hamas militants it believed to be inside the hospital, without providing evidence for its claims.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack.
His spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, says humanitarian staff are assessing the damage to the hospital - and the plan to rollout out the next phase of polio vaccinations will proceed.
"The Al-Aqsa hospital was also meant to be used as one of the polio vaccination sites. Out of the hundreds of displaced families sheltering in the courtyard, some 40 families were affected, half of whom lost their children and other belongings in the fire. Despite all of this, the second round of the polio vaccination campaign began in the middle area of the Gaza Strip today."
Israel says it made efforts to limit civilian casualties in the hospital strike.
Israeli officials have rejected suggestions there was any systematic plan to clear civilians out of northern Gaza, as it continues its ground offensive focus on Jabalia, home to one of eight historic refugee camps in the Gaza Strip.
The military has now encircled the camp and sent tanks into nearby towns, with the declared aim of stamping out Hamas fighters who are trying to regroup there.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, there are reports the war is spreading from the south to the north.
The Lebanese Red Cross says at least 18 people have been killed and four others injured in an Israeli raid on a town in the Zgharta [[Zah-tah]] district of northern Lebanon, marking the first such attack in the area.
The raid targeted a residential apartment in the predominantly Christian town of Ayto [[eye-two]].
The parish priest in Ayto, Father Bernard Ibrahim, has told SBS Arabic it is concerning that the conflict is spreading.
(Arabic then translated into English): "We felt the war from day one. Surely it is far from us, feeling safe and able to provide safety and peace to the families displaced from the south. However, the strike today shows that no one is safe in Lebanon."
Safety concerns are also extending to the UN mission in Lebanon.
UNIFIL spokesperson, Andrea Tenenti, has said there have been deliberate attacks against peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, with five wounded in recent days.
Israeli officials have rejected those statements.
Mr Netanyahu says Israel will continue to target Hezbollah militants - and UN peacekeepers should get out of harm's way.
"Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah and will continue to do so. We regret any harm done to UNIFIL personnel and the IDF is doing its utmost to prevent such incidents. But the best way to ensure the safety of UNIFIL personnel is for UNIFIL to heed Israel's request and to temporarily get out of harm's way."
That won't be happening.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL [[you-nee-fill], says it plans to stay put - and uphold a UN security resolution.
Dr Tom Clonan is an Irish senator who once commanded Irish troops in UNIFIL [[in 1995]].
He says Mr Netanyahu's demand that UN troops evacuate conflict zones in Lebanon cannot be supported.
"I think Netanyahu's demand that the troops evacuate is a very clear signal that the Israeli actions on the ground, it's not just the spontaneous action of local Israeli commanders, that this is a political and military strategy to get the United Nations out. And it's a 50-nation coalition of 10-thousand troops, including Ireland, Italy, France, Spain - and they are the eyes and ears of the international community on the ground."
The Australian Defence Force has 12 personnel supporting the UN Truce Supervision Organisation, which operates in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel and Egypt.
A defence department spokesperson says all Australian personnel in the Middle East are safe and accounted for, adding that protection measures are constantly being revised.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says the federal government has made it clear to Israel that any targeting of UN personnel or facilities in Lebanon is unacceptable and must cease.
