Israel-Hamas war: Israel faces global pressure for restraint in Gaza as fighting enters fifth week

Fighting raged in Gaza on Saturday five weeks after Hamas’s shock 7 October attack triggered a furious response from Israel it says is aimed at destroying the Islamist militant group.

About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel in the attack, according to Israeli officials.

In Gaza, upwards of 11,000 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed in the war, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory has said.

Here are five key developments from the past 24 hours:

Gaza hospital, a flashpoint

Israel faced growing calls Saturday to protect civilians in Gaza as combat with Hamas intensified around hospitals where Palestinians have sought refuge from intense bombardment and gun battles.

The director of the besieged territory’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, said the compound was struck repeatedly overnight and lost power for hours after its generator was hit.

“We received calls about dozens of dead and hundreds wounded in air and artillery strikes, but our ambulances weren’t able to go out,” said hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on X, formerly Twitter, that “the attacks against Al-Shifa Hospital have dramatically intensified. Our staff at the hospital have reported a catastrophic situation inside.”

The United Nations’ agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Friday more than 100 of its staff had been killed in Gaza since the start of the war.

Saudi summit

Arab and Muslim leaders including Iran’s president are in the Saudi capital Saturday for a summit meeting expected to underscore demands for a ceasefire before the violence draws in other countries.

The Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation were originally meant to meet separately, but the Saudi foreign ministry announced early Saturday that the blocs’ summits would be combined.

The move underscores the importance of reaching “a unified collective position that expresses the common Arab and Islamic will regarding the dangerous and unprecedented developments witnessed in Gaza and the Palestinian territories,” the official Saudi Press Agency said.

Pro-Palestinian march in London

More than 100,000 protesters are expected to march through London on Saturday in support of Palestinians, British police said, with almost 2,000 officers on duty during the protest.

Right-wing counter-protesters, which Taylor said were likely to include groups of football hooligans, are also set to descend on London for the weekend, increasing the risk of flashpoints.

Demonstrators on Friday blockaded the southeastern England factory of BAE Systems, charging that the military equipment maker provided “components for military aircraft currently being used by Israeli forces in the bombardment of Gaza”.

Macron says ‘no justification’ for bombing civilians

French President Emmanuel Macron called Friday on Israel to stop bombing civilians in Gaza, saying there was “no justification” and the deaths were causing “resentment”.

In an interview with the BBC, Macron said Israel had the right to protect itself but added: “These babies, these ladies, these old people are bombed and killed.

“So there is no reason for that and no legitimacy. So we do urge Israel to stop.”

Israel revises down death toll

Israel late Friday revised the death toll from the Hamas attacks from 1,400 to about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to a foreign ministry spokesman.

“This is an updated estimate,” ministry spokesman Lior Haiat told AFP.

The deaths include more than 300 soldiers, according to the army, and more than 50 police officers, according to the force.