Israeli airstrikes which pounded the Gaza Strip early on Monday killed dozens, according to Palestinian health officials.
Thirty-one of those killed were in a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City that was reportedly struck as people slept. It housed hundreds of people from Beit Lahia, a nearby city under intense assault, according to reports.
The Israeli military claimed that the attack targeted militants operating from the shelter.
A separate strike on a house in the northern Gaza city of Jabalia killed 19 people, according to officials at the al-Ahli hospital. Israel has not yet commented on the target of this attack.
Hamas on Monday agreed to a ceasefire proposal by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to media reports. However, Israeli officials denied the reports and said negotiations are still ongoing.
Meanwhile, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has left most of the territory’s about 2 million residents dependent on humanitarian aid, with international experts warning that Gaza is on the brink of famine.
Israel faces increasing criticism for its offensive and pressure to let aid into Gaza amid the mounting humanitarian crisis.
After a blockade of almost three months, Israel on Friday said it had let more than 100 trucks of aid enter the territory. This included flour, food, medical equipment and drugs.
However, the UN says this amount is not enough — especially compared to the aid that entered the Strip during a recent ceasefire, when around 600 trucks of relief entered each day to meet basic needs.
They also warn that Israeli military restrictions make it difficult for aid to be distributed within Gaza. As a result, little has reached those in need.
Israel is reportedly pursuing a US-backed plan to distribute aid to Gaza. However, the American heading the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which would have been the group overseeing the aid programme, resigned on Sunday.
Jake Wood was the executive director of the group, but said it had become clear his organisation would not be allowed to operate independently.
"It is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, which I will not abandon," he said in a statement.
Wood urged Israel to expand aid supplies "through all mechanisms."
Israel has described plans to seize full control of the Strip by the end of their current military offensive, codenamed Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
“At the end of this campaign, all of the territories of the Gaza Strip will be under Israel’s security control," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The military has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and internally displaced around 90% of its population during its 19-month war.
The war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people – most of them civilians. Hamas took 251 people as hostages and is currently holding 58, of whom 24 are believed to be alive.
A subsequent Israeli offensive has to date killed 53,977 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Israeli military says 858 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
