Airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza, international criticism of Israel grows

Israeli forces killed at least 55 Palestinians in airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said, continuing to bombard the enclave despite mounting international pressure to halt military operations and allow unimpeded deliveries of aid.

Britain announced it was suspending trade talks with Israel and summoning its ambassador over "egregious policies" in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asked for a review of the EU-Israel trade deal, according to Dutch news agency ANP.

The war, now in its 20th month, has left Gaza in ruins and its population facing a worsening hunger crisis. It has strained Israel's relations with much of the world and those with its closest ally, the United States, now appear to be wavering.

The United Nations said no humanitarian aid had been distributed yet in Gaza, although Israel eased its 11-week-old blockade on Monday.

"Israeli authorities are requiring us to offload supplies on the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing and reload them separately once they secure our team's access from inside Gaza," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

He said four trucks of baby food were dropped off on the Palestinian side of the border on Monday, and that a few dozen trucks of flour, medicine, nutrition supplies and other basic items entered Gaza on Tuesday.

Israel's military said 93 UN aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday via Kerem Shalom "after a thorough security inspection".

Indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas militants in Qatar appeared to falter again, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he had decided to bring back the senior negotiating team from Doha for consultations.

Hamas accused Netanyahu of entering the talks in bad faith, pretending to participate in a bid to mislead global public opinion. "No real negotiations have taken place since last Saturday," the Palestinian Islamist group said in a statement.

Israel's military chief said during a Gaza field tour that the army would expand its operations against Hamas, capture additional territory and "clear and destroy the terrorist infrastructure until (Hamas) is defeated".

Reuters