Israel faces mounting international pressure over the rising civilian death toll and destruction of hospitals in Gaza, as it presses on with its bombardment in the besieged Palestinian territory, AFP reports.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency was “appalled by the effective destruction” of the Kamal Adwan hospital, where Israeli forces carried out a multi-day operation against Hamas.

“I would not be surprised if people start dying of hunger, or a combination of hunger, disease, weak immunity,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna was in Israel yesterday, where she called for an “immediate and durable” truce. France separately condemned an Israel bombardment that killed one of its foreign ministry officials in Gaza.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Kuwait today as part of a regional trip that will include stops in Israel and Qatar, which brokered a previous ceasefire deal.