At least 44 people killed in Gaza as Israel ignores demands for ceasefire

Israeli strikes and gunfire in central and northern Gaza killed at least 38 people, local health officials said on Saturday, despite international pressure on Israel and growing calls for a ceasefire in the war-torn enclave.

The strikes Saturday morning demolished a house in Gaza City's Tufah neighbourhood, killing at least 11 people, more than half of them women and children, according to the Al-Ahly Hospital.

Officials at Shifa Hospital said four other people were killed when an airstrike hit their homes in the Shati refugee camp, while strikes on a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed nine members of the same family.

Six other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid in southern and central Gaza, according to Nasser and Al Awda hospitals, where the bodies were taken.

The attacks occurred just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his country "must finish the job" against Hamas in Gaza while addressing other world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Friday.

No sooner had he gotten to the podium than dozens of diplomats and delegates began walking out of the hall en masse.

Netanyahu berated Western nations recognising a Palestinian state, describing the move as 'sheer madness' in a speech analysts say was aimed as much at his increasingly divided domestic audience as the global one.

Outside the UNGA in New York, hundreds of people took part in street protests against Israeli actions in Gaza and a counter-protest calling for the release of all hostages.

International pressure on Israel to end the war is increasing, as is Israel's isolation, with a growing list of countries deciding recently to recognise Palestinian statehood — something Israel rejects.

Countries have been lobbying US President Donald Trump to press Israel for a ceasefire, something that has piled pressure on the Trump administration.

On Friday, Trump told reporters on the White House lawn that he believes the US is close to achieving a deal on easing fighting in Gaza that “will get the hostages back” and “end the war.”

Trump and Netanyahu to meet on Monday

He said “very inspired and productive discussions” and “intense negotiations” about Gaza were ongoing with countries in the region.

Trump's comments come ahead of a planned meeting with Netanyahu scheduled for Monday, where a major announcement is likely to be made.

As discussions and negotiations continue, Israel is pressing ahead with its major ground operation in Gaza City, which experts say is experiencing famine.

On Friday, aid group Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to suspend activities in Gaza City amid an intensified Israeli offensive. The group said Israeli tanks were less than half a mile from its health care facilities, and the escalating attacks have created an "unacceptable level of risk" for its staff.

More than 300,000 people have fled, but up to 700,000 are still there, many because they can’t afford to relocate.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza, which began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, has killed more than 65,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but says women and children make up around half the fatalities.