Morning mail: Gaza attacks intensify, calls for India medevac flights, who owns the outback?

Monday: 42 Palestinians killed in the deadliest day in Gaza so far. Plus: why more of Australia's outback is now in fewer hands

Good morning. It's Monday 17 May, and this is Imogen Dewey with today's main stories: the deadliest attack since hostilities broke out in Gaza last Monday, calls for medevac-style repatriation flights for Covid-positive Australians in India, and a new Guardian Australia series going deep into Australia's outback.

The eruption of violence in Gaza is heading for an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis", the UN secretary general has warned after a day of significant escalation, with 42 Palestinians killed by airstrikes. So far at least 181 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 52 children in Gaza, and 10 people in Israel. On Saturday as thousands marched in Free Palestine demonstrations worldwide, Israeli forces bombed the office which housed Associated Press and Al Jazeera in Gaza. A week of relentless bombardment has destroyed power lines, smashed water pipes beneath roads and left human waste spilling out of the ground. The political ground is shifting as the death toll rises, and Julian Borger suggests those resolutely defending Israel, such as US president Joe Biden, may find themselves increasingly isolated.