No let-up as Gaza war enters 200th day

The Israel-Hamas war entered its 200th day on Tuesday, with fears mounting of an Israeli invasion in the overcrowded south of Gaza amid calls for hostages to be freed.

The Israeli army carried out intense shelling overnight of the Gaza neighbourhoods of Al-Tuffah, Shujaiya and Zeitun.

Shelling and loud explosions were heard in southwest Gaza and Khan Younis in the south, while air strikes struck near the Bureij refugee camp and artillery fire hit the Nuseirat refugee camp.

The military said it struck several Hamas positions in south Gaza at night, with its warplanes hitting about 25 targets including military observation and launch posts.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday called for the release of the hostages in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

"For 200 days, the world has stood still for their families, they have missed their laughter, their hugs, the jingling of keys in the opening door," she said.

Israel launched a military offensive that has so far killed at least 34,183 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The latest ministry toll issued on April 23 included least 32 deaths in the past 24 hours.

For Palestinians in Gaza, April 22 was a day of fresh horror, with the territory's Civil Defense agency saying about 200 bodies were uncovered in the past three days of people killed and buried by Israeli forces at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

An expected Israeli assault on Rafah has aid groups scrambling for ways to help the 1.5 million civilians sheltering in the south Gaza city but the uncertain timeline poses a logistical nightmare.

"We always are prepared with plans to upscale or...