Al Jazeera|Egyptian officials said Nickolay Mladenoy, a United Nations Middle East envoy, arrived in Cairo to lead de-escalation efforts.
The officials cited by news agencies said Mladenoy landed from Tel Aviv and was scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.
22 Palestinians killed, 69 wounded
Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for Gaza’s health ministry, said at least 22 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air raids since the start of the latest escalation on Tuesday morning.
At least 69 others were wounded, he added.
A Palestinian man, stained with the blood of his relative, is comforted as he reacts at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
Palestinian Authority condemns Israeli attacks
A spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said the “Israeli escalation” must immediately stop, Wafa news agency reported.
Abbas is exerting efforts to stop the escalation, Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.
He called on the international community to immediately intervene to pressure Israel to stop its “continued aggression”, and to respect international law, Wafa added.
Palestinian women sit on debris after Israeli airstrikes hit their homes in Khan Yunis, Gaza [Ali Jadallah /Anadolu]
Netanyahu warns Israel prepared to step up attacks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to keep bombarding Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza as long as rocket fire continued.
“They have one choice: to stop these attacks or absorb more and more blows. Their choice,” Netanyahu said in remarks made during a cabinet meeting.
18 Palestinians killed, over 50 wounded
Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for Gaza’s health ministry, confirmed to Al Jazeera that at least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air raids since the start of the latest escalation on Tuesday morning.
At least 50 others were wounded, he added, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate.
Palestinian youths look for salvageable items amid the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip [Said Khatib/AFP]
Three Palestinians killed in new Israeli air raid
Al-Qidra said three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air raid that targeted central Gaza.
Israeli fighter jets bombarded a wood-working shop in al-Tuffah neighbourhood, killing the three Palestinians and wounding more than 20 others, Maan News Agency reported.