Israel-Hamas war: Gaza braces for a ground offensive

Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for an imminent ground offensive by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intended to stamp out the Islamist group Hamas, which is deemed a terrorist organization by the US, the EU, Germany and a number of other countries.

It comes a week after Hamas orchestrated a terrorist attack that killed more than 1,300 Israelis and saw dozens more kidnapped and taken hostage.

"Battalions and soldiers are deployed all over the country and are prepared to increase readiness for the next stages of the war — with an emphasis on a significant ground operation," the IDF said in a statement on Saturday evening.

While workers at an Israeli military base continued efforts to identify the dead on the Jewish Sabbat, Israeli armed forces dropped leaflets directing Palestinians in Gaza City to flee south.

An estimated tens of thousands of Palestinians scrambled to evacuate Gaza City over the weekend.

On Sunday, others took refuge near hospitals in the hope they would be spared from the fighting.

Fuel, water and medical supplies are in short supply in the Gaza Strip.

Russia asks UN Security Council to vote on cease-fire resolution

Russia has asked the UN Security Council to vote on a draft resolution on Monday that calls for a humanitarian cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The draft resolution also condemns acts of terrorism and violence against civilians.

It refers to Israel and the Palestinians, but does not directly name Hamas, which is considered to be a terrorist group by the US, the EU, Germany and others.

Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Saturday that no changes had been made to the text since it was first given to the 15-member body on Friday.

A UN Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, China or Russia. 

Chinese envoy to visit Middle East in cease-fire push

China's Special Envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, will visit the region next week to push for a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel and promote peace talks.

In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday, Zhai said that "the prospect of further broadening and outward spillover (of the conflict) is deeply worrying."

Zhai met with representatives from the Arab League in China on Friday.

China's statements on the Middle East have not specifically named Hamas, which is deemed a terror group by the US, EU, Germany and others.