Ukraine rebel stronghold shelling kills 3

At least three people were killed in shelling in Donetsk overnight, local officials said Thursday, as fierce fighting continues in rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine.

This followed artillery strikes on the rebel stronghold on Wednesday which hit a hospital, six schools and five kindergartens, leaving five people dead.

Neighbourhoods all over Donetsk have been shelled in the past 24 hours, leaving more than 6,600 households without gas supply, the city hall said in a statement.

Fighting between Russia-backed separatists and government forces picked up in January after a month of relative calm, with more than 220 civilians killed in the past three weeks alone, according to the United Nations. The UNhas sharply criticized both sides for indiscriminate shelling and called for temporary truce.

The rebels pledge to carry on with their offensive on the government positions until Kyiv stops shelling cities like Donetsk.

The Ukrainian government is anxious to use Thursday's visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Kiev to reiterate its plea for lethal aid. President Barack Obama has opposed the idea of sending weapons to Ukraine but sources in his administration say this position could change in the light of recent events.

In Brussels, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday's meeting of defense ministers is expected to approve boosting the size of its Response Force from 13,000 to 30,000, in reaction to Russian actions in Ukraine.