Gaza civil defence says 20 dead after aid truck overturns
· RTE.ieGaza's civil defence agency has said that 20 people were killed when an aid truck overturned on a crowd of aid seekers in central Gaza.
The agency's spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, said dozens of people were injured in the incident at around midnight last night.
It occurred near the Nuseirat refugee camp, as the truck was driving on an unsafe road that Israel had previously bombed, Mr Bassal added.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
Hamas accused Israel of forcing truck drivers to take dangerous routes to reach aid distribution centres, and to "intentionally engineer... starvation and chaos."
Israel "forces drivers to navigate routes overcrowded with starving civilians who have been waiting for weeks for the most basic necessities," Hamas's media office said in a statement.
"This often results in desperate crowds swarming the trucks," it added.
It comes as the UN warned that a widening of the war "would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians".
UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča also said yesterday that this "could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza".
"There is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza or the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Mr Jenča said.
Israeli media has reported that the Israeli cabinet is set to convene tomorrow at 6pm (8pm Irish time) as Israel considers a full Gaza takeover.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favours a complete military takeover of Gaza for the first time in two decades, the reports added.
Mediation between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas collapsed last week despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Mr Netanyahu was to meet Defence Minister Israel Katz and military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet later this week, an Israeli official told Reuters. Strategic Affairs Minister Rob Dermer, a confidant of Mr Netanyahu, would also be present.
Israel's Channel 12, citing an official from Mr Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory.
That would reverse a 2005 decision to pull settlers and military out of Gaza while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there.
It was unclear, however, whether Mr Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages.
The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Channel 12 report.
A Palestinian official said it may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports.
Meanwhile, the former head of Israel's National Security Council has warned that hostages held in Gaza will be put at the highest possible risk if the war there escalates.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Eran Etzion accused Mr Netanayhu's government of being oblivious to the needs and opinions of most Israelis and its clear motivation was to maintain its grip on power.
He said a complete Israeli takeover of Gaza was not within its interests and would be be costly in terms of lives and money.
Mr Etzion added that eliminating Hamas was not achievable "in the pure sense", as the group also exists in the West Bank, but said he believed it was possible to topple it as an effective ruler in Gaza.