Mahmoud Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly that Palestinians in Gaza “have been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement” by Israel. His speech came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to New York to give his own address in person on Friday.

Israel struck houses and tents in central and southern Gaza Thursday, crushing families inside and killing 17 people, including 10 children and three women, local health officials said, as international pressure for a ceasefire continued to grow.