Dozens killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

Israeli strikes killed dozens more people overnight, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday, including in the territory's south where Israel has intensified operations.

The renewed strikes came as medicine for hostages held by the militants and fresh aid for civilians entered the Palestinian territory under a newly brokered deal, mediator Qatar said.

The ministry said 93 people had been killed, including 16 in a single strike on a house in the southern city of Rafah, where many people have fled.

"The strike left 16 killed, among them women and children, and 20 injured," the ministry said.

The Hamas government reported dozens of strikes, including on the southern city of Khan Yunis and Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza.

Plumes of black smoke rose over Khan Yunis at dawn after the strikes.

At least 24,448 Palestinians, most of them women, children and adolescents, have been killed in Israeli bombardments and a ground offensive, according to figures from the health ministry.

Hamas and other militants seized about 250 hostages during the Oct. 7 attacks, and around 132 remain in Gaza, including at least 27 believed to have been killed.

The fate of those still in captivity has gripped Israeli society, leading to pressure against the government for their release.

A broader humanitarian crisis in besieged Gaza is marked by the threat of famine and disease, fuelling international calls for a ceasefire.

Late Wednesday Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said on X, formerly Twitter, that medicine for hostages and aid entered Gaza "over the past few hours" under the agreement announced on Tuesday following French and Qatari mediation.

Two planes earlier arrived in...