Gaza鈥檚 civil defence agency said 26 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and air strikes on Tuesday, including 14 who were waiting near an aid distribution site inside the Palestinian territory.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that eight people were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for aid near the south Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
Six more people were killed and 21 injured by Israeli fire in central Gaza while waiting for food near a distribution centre, according to Bassal.
The Israeli army said it was looking into the incidents.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
Thousands of Gazans gather daily near food distribution points across Gaza, including four belonging to the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on those waiting to collect rations.
Israeli restrictions on the entry of goods and aid into Gaza since the start of the war nearly 22 months ago have led to shortages of food and essential goods, including medicine, medical supplies and fuel, which hospitals rely on to power their generators.
Bassal said that five people were killed by a nightly air strike on a tent in Al-Mawasi in south Gaza, an area Israeli authorities designated as a safe zone early on in the war.
鈥業t鈥檚 said to be a green zone and it鈥檚 safe, but it鈥檚 not. They also say that the aid distribution is safe, but people die while obtaining aid,鈥� said Adham Younes, who lost a relative in the strike.
鈥楾here鈥檚 no safety within the Gaza Strip, everyone is exposed to death, everyone is subject to injury,鈥� the 30-year-old said.
Mahmud Younes, another Gazan who said he witnessed the strike, said: 鈥榃e found women screaming 鈥� they were covered in blood. The entire family has been injured.鈥�
Bassal of the civil defence agency said that six more people were killed in a strike near Gaza City, and one in a strike near the southern city of Khan Yunis.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas鈥檚 armed wing and the largest armed force in Gaza, said in a statement Tuesday that they had bombarded an Israeli command-and-control centre in south Gaza鈥檚 Morag Axis, an Israeli-controlled corridor.
Meanwhile, Israel鈥檚 prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the army must 鈥榗omplete鈥� the defeat of Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of hostages, ahead of an expected meeting with security chiefs on an updated war plan.
鈥業t is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,鈥� Netanyahu said during a visit to an army training facility.
鈥楴etanyahu wants the Israeli army to conquer the entire Gaza Strip,鈥� said a report on public broadcaster Kan.
鈥楽everal cabinet members who spoke with the prime minister confirmed that he has decided to extend the fight to areas where hostages might be held,鈥� Kan reported.
The private daily Maariv declared: 鈥楾he die is cast. We鈥檙e en route for the total conquest of Gaza.鈥�
However, some major media outlets such as Channel 12 have questioned whether the rumoured expansion of military operations is merely a negotiating tactic, and whether Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir would oppose such a decision.
鈥楾he Chief of Staff is required to express his professional opinion clearly and unequivocally to the political leadership. I am convinced that he will do so,鈥� foreign minister Gideon Saar wrote on X.
After 22 months of combat sparked by the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas that killed 1,219 people and saw hundreds kidnapped, the Israeli army has devastated large parts of the Palestinian territory.
More than 60,933 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures from Hams-run Gaza鈥檚 health ministry, and humanitarian agencies have warned that the territory鈥檚 2.4 million people are slipping into a catastrophic famine.
But Netanyahu is under pressure on several fronts.
Domestically, the desperate and vocal families of the 49 remaining hostages are demanding a ceasefire to bring their loved ones home.
Around the world, humanitarians are pushing for a truce to allow in food to the starving, and several European capitals have announced plans to recognise Palestinian statehood, despite fierce US and Israeli opposition.
