Ramallah [Palestine], December 12: Israel denied it intended to push Palestinians seeking refuge from its bombardment of Gaza over the border into Egypt as international relief agencies said hunger was spreading among the besieged enclave's civilian population.
Amid the worsening humanitarian crisis, Hamas fighters and Israeli troops fought across the territory, with the militants trying to block Israeli tanks from advancing through the shattered streets.
The Gaza health ministry said 18,205 people had now been killed and 49,645 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza in just over two months of warfare - hundreds of them since the United States vetoed a proposal for a ceasefire at the United Nations Security Council on Friday.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and residents say it is impossible to find refuge or food in the densely populated enclave.
One Palestinian told Reuters he had not eaten for three days and had to beg for bread for his children.
UNRWA, the U.N. body responsible for Palestinian refugees, said some people were arriving at its health centres and shelters carrying their dead children.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation