The UN Palestinian refugee agency sounded an alarm, saying its aid workers will no longer be able to continue humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip unless new supplies are allowed into the besieged enclave.
Israel's military continued to urge residents to move from northern Gaza to the south as it pledged to counter Hamas with "an even greater force." The Israel Defense Forces said it would not carry out any military operations along the evacuation route from 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) to 1 p.m. Sunday.
The evacuation orders have been criticized by many humanitarian agencies, however. After negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden, a decision to renew water supplies to parts of southern Gaza was agreed upon, Israel Energy Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday. The UN warned late Saturday that the lack of water and fuel in Gaza had "become a matter of life or death."
Energy Minister Israel Katz said that the decision to partially renew water supplies was in line with Israeli policy, which is to tighten a blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory.
On Sunday, China urged Israel to end its collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, saying that "Israel's actions have gone beyond self-defense." China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's comments came during a series of weekend calls, as world leaders worked to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday that the Senate would swiftly push through a military aid package to help Israel in its fight against Hamas.
"We will work to move this aid through the senate ASAP, and the Israeli leaders made it clear to us they need the aid quickly," said Schumer during a trip to Israel.
Separately, the U.S. Embassy in Israel said it would help Americans and their immediate family members to depart the northern Israeli port city of Haifa via sea to Cyprus on Monday. "Boarding will proceed in order of arrival and is on a space-limited basis," the embassy said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head back to Israel after meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday. The top U.S. diplomat is also expected to land in Egypt later in the day and work on a deal to grant safe passage of Americans currently in Gaza through the Rafah gate — the only crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Gaza — a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Egypt, Israel and the Mediterranean Sea — has been pounded by Israeli forces in response to Hamas' brutal attack on Israel last weekend. The death toll continues to tick higher, with at least 1,400 killed in Israel and nearly 2,700 in Gaza. The number of hostages believed to be held by the militants has jumped to 155, according to IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagar.