Israel continues to deploy tanks and armoured vehicles to the Gaza border

Israel has defended its response to the Hamas massacres that killed more than 1,300 people on Saturday, with backing from Joe Biden. More than 1,500 Palestinians, a third of them children, have been killed in the retaliatory strikes, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The Israeli air force said on Thursday it had dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza since Saturday. Hamas claimed on Friday that 13 captives were killed in Israeli strikes over the last 24 hours.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said: “The UN’s response to Israel’s early warning to the residents of Gaza is shameful.” Erdan said the UN should focus on condemning Hamas and supporting Israel’s right to self-defence.