Late night update

Hello MEE readers,

Israel ordered residents out of the centre of Gaza's main southern city Khan Younis on Saturday and pounded the length of the enclave, after the United States wielded its UN Security Council veto to shield Israel from a demand for a ceasefire.

The veto came up against a vote in which 13 of the Security Council's 15 members backed the ceasefire resolution, with Britain abstaining.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the decision of the United States to veto the resolution made it complicit in "war crimes" against Palestinians. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US's veto, saying that he "appreciates the correct position taken by the country".

"Other countries should also understand that it is impossible on the one hand to support the elimination of Hamas, and on the other hand to call for the end of the war that would prevent it. Israel will continue its just war to eliminate Hamas and achieve the other war goals set by the government."

Since a truce collapsed last week, Israel has expanded its ground assault into the southern half of the Gaza Strip by pushing into Khan Younis. 

An official toll of all deaths in Gaza compiled by the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave exceeded 17,700 on Saturday, with many thousands more missing and presumed dead under the rubble. The ministry has previously said about 40 percent of deaths were of children under 18.

Israel, meanwhile, said Israeli forces had killed at least 7,000 Hamas fighters so far, without saying how that estimate was reached, and military chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi told soldiers "we need to press harder".

The UN said half of Gaza was starving after months of bombardment and "nine out of 10 are not eating every day". It said it was stockpiling aid in Egypt and Jordan in preparation for a million Palestinian refugees.