Analysis: With Saudi-Israel normalisation frozen for now, Riyadh has stepped up its public diplomacy over the Gaza war but is still treading cautiously.

Humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza are “in tatters,” the U.N.’s emergency aid chief said, adding the pace of Israel’s military assault left “no place safe for civilians.”

Israel sharply increased strikes on the Gaza Strip, pounding the length of the Palestinian enclave and killing hundreds in a new, expanded phase of the war, as the U.S. on Friday again signalled that Israel could do more to protect civilians in the enclave.