Israeli strikes on Gaza kill more than 90 people in 48 hours, Palestinians say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 90 people in 48 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said Saturday, as Israeli troops increase their attacks to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages and disarm.

Children and women were among the 15 people killed overnight, and some had been sheltering in a designated humanitarian zone, according to hospital staff.

At least 11 people were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, several of them in a tent in the Muwasi area where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are staying, hospital workers said. Israel has designated it as a humanitarian zone.

Mourners cradled and kissed the faces of the dead. A man stroked a child's forehead with his finger before body bags were closed.

''Omar is gone ... I wish it was me," one brother cried out.

Four other people were killed in strikes in Rafah city, including a mother and her daughter, according to the European Hospital, where the bodies were taken.

There was no immediate Israeli military comment. Israel has vowed to intensify attacks across Gaza and occupy indefinitely large ''security zones'' inside the small coastal strip of over 2 million people.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to issue a statement Saturday night, according to his office. There were no immediate details.

Israel also has blockaded Gaza for the past six weeks, again barring the entry of food and other goods.

This week, aid groups raised the alarm, saying thousands of children have become malnourished and most people are barely eating one meal a day as stocks dwindle, according to the United Nations.

On Friday, the head of the World Health Organization's eastern Mediterranean office, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, urged the new U.S. ambassador in Israel, Mike Huckabee, to push the country to lift Gaza's blockade so medicines and other aid can enter.

''I would wish for him to go in and see the situation firsthand,'' she said.

In his first appearance as ambassador on Friday, Huckabee visited the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem's Old City. He inserted a prayer into the wall, which he said was handwritten by U.S. President Donald Trump. Huckabee said every effort was being made to bring home the remaining hostages.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of them believed to be alive.

Israel's offensive has since killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities. Around 90% of the population is displaced, with hundreds of thousands of people living in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.

Frustration has been growing on both sides after Israel shattered a ceasefire last month, with rare public protests against Hamas in Gaza and continued weekly rallies in Israel pressing the government to reach a deal to bring all hostages home.

A growing campaign of retired and reservist Israeli soldiers has called for an end to the war.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten contributed to this report.

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This story corrects the day the WHO official made comments.