Israel said Friday it was not seeking to destroy the Palestinian people, as it hit back at what it called a "profoundly distorted" and "malevolent" genocide case against it at the UN's top court.
Bombed-out neighbourhoods, mass graves dug in the sand, spreading hunger and disease as the bloodiest ever Gaza war nears 100 days, besieged Palestinians have endured ever new horrors.
US top diplomat Antony Blinken told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday that Washington supports "tangible steps" towards the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israeli strikes in southern and central Gaza intensified on Wednesday despite a pledge by Israel that it would pull out some troops and shift to a more targeted campaign, and pleading from its ally Washington to kill fewer civilians.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh called on Muslim states on Tuesday to provide Palestinian operatives with weapons, as the group's war with Israel rages in the Gaza Strip.