At least 13 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens

The Israeli government and military are preparing to expand their ground operation in Gaza, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis and intensifying military action that has killed at least 13 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, including children and women.

Israeli strikes since dawn Sunday targeted multiple locations across the besieged enclave. Among the dead were three people killed in a drone strike on a vehicle, and two others in a bombing near residential towers west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Artillery fire on a home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood killed two more, while another body was recovered near the Bureij refugee camp following air raids a day earlier. The Israeli military also struck the Islamic University building in Khan Younis.

These latest attacks come as the people of Gaza — numbering 2.3 million — continue to face critical shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel. Humanitarian conditions are rapidly deteriorating, with charity kitchens increasingly forced to shut down due to lack of supplies. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned Sunday of “irreversible harm” as the blockade enters its 70th day.

“UNRWA has thousands of trucks ready to enter and our teams in Gaza are ready to scale up the delivery,” the agency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israel of committing a “complex crime” as the humanitarian toll rises. The Israeli security cabinet recently approved a plan to fully occupy Gaza and establish designated military zones to control the distribution of aid. Critics, including the UN’s Humanitarian Country Team, have condemned the proposal, calling it a violation of humanitarian principles and a tactic of pressure.

Israel has also endorsed a proposed new aid distribution mechanism led by a group of American security contractors and former military personnel, bypassing traditional UN and NGO channels. The plan would create just four distribution points in southern Gaza, raising concerns over accessibility for many Palestinians.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, over 52,800 Palestinians have been killed and more than 119,000 wounded since Israel began its military response to the Hamas-led 7 October attacks, which left 1,139 people in Israel dead and more than 200 taken captive into Gaza.

In a rare intervention, Pope Leo XIV used his first Sunday blessing to call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of captives, and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.

In a sign of further escalation, Israel is redeploying troops from other fronts to intensify its campaign in Gaza. The elite Paratroopers Brigade has been withdrawn from operations in Syria and the Golan Heights, while the Nahal Brigade has been pulled from the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli government also approved a benefit package for reservists valued at 3 billion shekels ($838 million), aiming to address growing dissatisfaction among soldiers and their families. The army described it as recognition of reservists' “exceptional contribution” to national defence.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to begin a tour of the Middle East this week, amid reported tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the conduct and objectives of the Gaza war.