Israel pounds south, central Gaza
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00:00 On its 84th day of war with Israel, Gaza wakes up to more thick smoke and rubble.
00:06 Over the last two days, Israeli airstrikes pounded densely populated cities like Deir
00:11 el-Bala and Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which up until now had been places of refuge
00:16 for thousands of displaced Palestinians.
00:18 After a night of non-stop explosions, the injured and dead were rushed to the Al-Aqsa
00:25 Hospital in Deir el-Bala, one of the few medical facilities still standing.
00:30 The Israeli forces continued their offensive on central Gaza's refugee camps,
00:35 hitting the Mahazi camp on Thursday.
00:37 Survivors desperately searched through the ruins for any sign of life.
00:41 "They told us to go to Rafa, but we don't want to. Why? To go to live in the streets there?
00:48 The whole neighbourhood here was evacuated. They bombed the school, but we didn't leave
00:54 because we don't have anywhere else to go."
00:55 This airstrike comes days after the Israelis launched their deadliest bombardment on the
01:01 same camp last Sunday, which Hamas officials say killed at least 70 Palestinians.
01:08 The Israeli government acknowledged the severity of the strike.
01:11 "This was a regrettable mistake. This should not have happened. The choice of munition was
01:17 incorrect. And when we are dealing with a very complicated war zone, an area that I'll remind
01:22 you is a unique counter-terrorism challenge that no army in the history of the world has
01:27 had to deal with, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made."
01:30 The fighting is now focused on the central and southern areas of the Strip. According to the UN,
01:35 100,000 people have streamed into Rafa, the southern border city,
01:40 as violence intensified in recent days.
01:42 But the town's Shabura camp was shelled on Thursday evening,
01:47 casting doubt on whether Rafa remains a place of safety.
01:50 As the situation grows desperate and Palestinians have nowhere to go,
01:54 Israel's foreign ministry says it has given preliminary approval to Cyprus
01:58 for a maritime humanitarian corridor to ship aid to Gaza.
02:02 Whilst Egypt aims to negotiate a ceasefire plan with a Hamas delegation due in Cairo later today.