Israel says Hamas uses hospitals and civilians as human shields, and has made public videos and photos to support that claim. Hamas rejects the allegations and says it does not use the civilian population or facilities for military purposes.

Scores of people were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes on houses in northern Gaza where displaced people were sheltering, according to media reports and agencies run by Gaza's Hamas-led administration.

Gazans saw little hope on Friday that International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders would slow down the onslaught on the Palestinian territory, where medics said at least 24 people were killed in fresh Israeli military strikes.

The International Criminal Court alleges Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza offensive.

The ICC announced Thursday that it had issued the warrant for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant "for crimes against humanity and war crimes," alleging that "b