No of Palestinians fleeing north Gaza combat zone spikes

A Palestinian civil defence member tries to put out a fire in a collapsed building. Pics/AP

The pace of Palestinian civilians fleeing the combat zone in northern Gaza has picked up as Israel's air and ground campaign there intensifies. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday that about 15,000 people fled on Tuesday, compared to 5,000 on Monday and 2,000 on Sunday.

The densely populated northern area of Gaza, specifically Gaza City and adjacent crowded urban refugee camps, are the focus of Israel's campaign to crush Hamas, the militant group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years.

The number of Palestinians killed in the war passed 10,300, including more than 4,200 children, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said Tuesday. In the occupied West Bank, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed in the violence and Israeli raids. Over 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly during the Hamas attack.

G7 announces unified stance

Delegates from the G7 nation bloc at the beginning of the Session 1

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial democracies announced a unified stance on the war after intensive meetings in Tokyo, condemning Hamas, supporting Israel's right to self-defense and calling for "humanitarian pauses" to speed aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip. In a statement following two days of talks, the nations sought to balance unequivocal criticism of Hamas' attacks against Israel and "the need for urgent action" to help civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Airstrike hits residential area

An Israeli airstrike struck a residential area in the Zannah neighborhood east of Khan Younis on Wednesday, destroying at least one house and damaging buildings. At least three people - two women and a child - were killed.

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