Gaza’s health system is on its knees and cannot afford to lose another ambulance or a single hospital bed more, the World Health Organization warned yesterday.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, in a rare move on Wednesday aimed at formally warning the Security Council of the global threat from Israel’s war on Gaza.

Heavy urban combat raged in and around Gaza’s biggest cities yesterday as the bloodiest ever war between Israel and Hamas entered its third month since October 7.

The world needs to focus on phasing out coal, United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei said yesterday on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit.

Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Hamas in southern Gaza yesterday after reaching the heart of the city of Khan Younis, forcing Palestinian civilians to seek refuge elsewhere as the number of safe areas decreases.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell accused nations of “posturing” at the COP28 talks in Dubai yesterday and urged them to reach an ambitious deal to ensure the world meets its targets against global warming.

The United States, Canada and Kenya were among 63 countries to join a pledge on Tuesday to deeply cut cooling-related emissions at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai.

Government pledges for climate adaptation at the COP28 summit have fallen far short of the target, with officials warning that resources to build resilience to wilder weather and rising seas could be diverted into a new “loss and damage” fund instead.

Released under a prisoner-hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas, former Palestinian detainees have described beatings, deprivation and a radical deterioration in conditions in Israeli jails following Israel’s Gaza offensive on October 7.

A UN official warned that “an even more hellish scenario” looms in Gaza as Israeli forces stormed the main city in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday and hospitals struggled to cope with scores of Palestinian dead and wounded.

Battle lines on fossil fuels hardened at UN climate talks yesterday despite scientists warning that global warming could breach the 1.5C threshold within seven years.

The World Food Programme said yesterday it was suspending its food distribution in Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen because of funding cuts and disagreements with the rebel group.

A World Health Organization official in Gaza said yesterday the situation was deteriorating by the hour as Israeli bombing has intensified in the south of the Palestinian enclave around the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors without Borders, has called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza to stop killing of civilians and allow for the delivery of desperately-needed humanitarian aid.

Israel ordered people out of swathes of the main southern city in the Gaza Strip yesterday as it pressed its ground campaign deep into the south, sending desperate residents fleeing even as it dropped bombs on areas where it told them to go.

Money pledges stacked up at COP28 in Dubai yesterday as delegates sought to address the huge gap between what is needed in climate finance and the amounts so far on offer.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, while slamming Western countries supporting Israel.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank have lost their jobs or had their salaries frozen after the Israeli authorities cancelled their work permits and imposed severe restrictions on crossings after the October 7 offensive.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has issued a stark warning about the health sector in Gaza, describing the situation as “unimaginable.”

At least 700 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in 24 hours as Israel yesterday stepped up its bombing campaign from air, sea and land across the enclave, which the UN said now resembles a “death zone”.