Israel pounded Gaza with air strikes and artillery fire in its war against Hamas on Wednesday after the US Congress approved $13 billion in military aid.
Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said the Senate鈥檚 approval of the aid package already passed by the House of Representatives sent a 鈥榮trong message to all our enemies鈥� in a post on social media platform X.聽聽
US-Israeli relations been strained by Israel鈥檚 conduct of the war in Gaza and Israeli prime minister聽 Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 determination to send troops into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where 1.5 million people are sheltering, many in makeshift encampments.
Fears are rising that Israel will soon launch an assault on Rafah, which it says is the 鈥榣ast鈥� major Hamas stronghold, but aid groups warn any invasion would create an 鈥榓pocalyptic situation鈥�.
Early Wednesday, hospital and security sources in Gaza reported Israeli air strikes in Rafah, as well as the central Nuseirat refugee camp.
An AFP correspondent and witnesses also reported heavy bombardment of several areas of northern Gaza during the night, while the Israeli military said its aircraft 鈥榮truck over 50 targets鈥� over the previous 24 hours.
Netanyahu, however, has insisted the assault on Rafah will go ahead.
Citing Egyptian officials briefed on the Israeli plans, the Wall Street Journal said Israel was planning to move civilians from Rafah to nearby Khan Yunis over a period of two to three weeks.
Satellite images shared by Maxar Technologies showed new blocks of tents that had been set up in recent weeks in southern Gaza.
The Journal reported that Israel would then send troops into Rafah gradually, targeting areas where Hamas leaders are thought to be hiding in an operation expected to last six weeks.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas government media office said an invasion would be a 鈥榗rime鈥� and that central Gaza and Khan Yunis 鈥榗annot accommodate the numbers of displaced people in Rafah鈥�.
The war began with an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of around 1,170 people, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
In retaliation, Israel launched a military offensive that has killed at least 34,262 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory鈥檚 health ministry.
The Israeli army announced the death of a soldier in Gaza, raising its losses to 261 since the ground operation began.
Israel estimates that 129 of the roughly 250 people abducted during the Hamas attack remain in Gaza, including 34 it says are presumed dead.
The UN human rights office said on Tuesday it was 鈥榟orrified鈥� by reports of mass graves found at the Gaza Strip鈥檚 two biggest hospitals after Israeli sieges and raids.
Israel has repeatedly targeted hospitals during the war, accusing Hamas of using them as command centres and to hold hostages abducted on October 7. Hamas denies the accusations.
Gaza鈥檚 Civil Defence agency said nearly 340 bodies were uncovered of people killed and buried by Israeli forces at the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
The Israeli army said claims it had buried Palestinian bodies were 鈥榖aseless鈥�, without directly addressing allegations that Israeli troops were behind the killings.
It said that 鈥榗orpses buried by Palestinians鈥� had been examined by Israeli troops searching for hostages and then 鈥榬eturned to their place鈥�.
The European Union backed a call from UN human rights chief Volker Turk for an 鈥榠ndependent鈥� probe into the deaths at the two hospitals.
鈥楾his is something that forces us to call for an independent investigation of all the suspicions and all the circumstances, because indeed it creates the impression that there might have been violations of international human rights committed,鈥� EU spokesman Peter Stano said Wednesday.
UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said some of the bodies found at Nasser Hospital were allegedly 鈥榝ound with their hands tied and stripped of their clothes鈥�, adding that efforts were underway to corroborate the reports.
The war has left much of Gaza鈥檚 medical system in ruins, with medics struggling to treat both casualties of the war and people with pre-existing conditions.
Amjad Aleway, an emergency doctor in Gaza City speaking in the ruins of Al-Shifa hospital, said 鈥榯he number of casualties is overwhelming, and we lack sufficient operating theatres to address them, nor do we have specialised facilities for patients with kidney and heart conditions鈥�.
The European Union鈥檚 humanitarian chief Janez Lenarcic called on donor governments to fund the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, which has been central to aid operations in Gaza.
His comment came after an independent report found 鈥業srael has yet to provide supporting evidence鈥� for its claim that UNRWA employs 鈥榯errorists鈥�.
The report did find 鈥榥eutrality-related issues鈥�, such as agency staff sharing biased posts on social media.
After the report was released, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called for an investigation into the 鈥榖latant disregard鈥� for UN operations in Gaza, adding that 180 of the agency鈥檚 staff had been killed since the war began.
While some governments have renewed funding for the agency 鈥� including Germany, which announced it would resume cooperation on Wednesday 鈥� the United States and Britain are among the holdouts.
The White House would 鈥榟ave to see real progress鈥� before it restores funding, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, there has been a surge in deadly violence in the occupied West Bank.
On Wednesday the Israeli military said it had killed a woman during an 鈥榓ttempted stabbing鈥� near Hebron. The Palestinian health ministry identified her as Maimunah Abdel Hamid Harahsheh, 20.