Middle East on "verge of the abyss,' UN warns as Gaza suffers and Israel prepares for offensive

Conditions in Gaza have deteriorated dangerously, experts say, with serious shortages of clean water and food as tens of thousands of Palestinians attempt to flee crippling airstrikes and an Israeli ground offensive.

Israel's military said Saturday its forces are readying for the next stages of the war, including "combined and coordinated strikes from the air, sea and land" in response to the unprecedented October 7 terrorist attacks by the Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls the enclave.

At least 1,400 people were killed and many taken hostage during Hamas' rampage, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN on Sunday, in what US President Joe Biden described as "the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust."

Further escalation of the long-running conflict increasingly risks spilling over regionally, prompting the Pentagon to order a second carrier strike group and squadrons of fighter jets to the region as a deterrence to Iran and Iranian proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"We are on the verge of the abyss in the Middle East," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a statement Sunday.

He issued urgent humanitarian appeals to Israel and Hamas: "To Hamas, the hostages must be released immediately without conditions. To Israel, rapid and unimpeded aid must be granted for humanitarian supplies and workers for the sake of the civilians in Gaza."

"Each one of these two objectives are valid in themselves. They should not become bargaining chips and they must be implemented because it is the right thing to do."