Tensions surged as Hamas's chief accused Israel on Tuesday of sabotaging talks for a Gaza truce after it raided the devastated Palestinian territory's largest hospital for a second time.
Months of war have pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged territory to the brink of famine, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying everyone in Gaza was now in need of humanitarian aid.
A UN-backed assessment meanwhile said 300,000 people in the territory's north would face famine by May without a surge of aid. UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel was blocking aid and conducting the conflict in a way that "may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war".
Israeli troops on Tuesday were pressing an assault on Gaza's biggest hospital, which they allege is being used for military purposes, saying more than 50 fighters had been killed and around 300 suspects arrested and taken for questioning.
In response, Hamas's Qatar-based chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel of seeking to "sow chaos and perpetuate violence" and "sabotage ongoing negotiations in Doha".
"The actions of the Zionist occupation forces at Al-Shifa Medical Complex confirm their intent to obstruct the recovery of life in Gaza and dismantle essential aspects of human existence," Haniyeh said.
It came as negotiations on a ceasefire in Qatar had restarted after weeks of talks failed to secure a truce for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week. Israel's spy chief David Barnea kicked off a new round of talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Monday.
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said he was "cautiously optimistic" but it was "too early to announce any successes". Ansari said they were expecting a counter-proposal to be presented to Hamas after both sides rejected previous offers, adding that technical talks would continue.
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