Palestinian residents of Gaza City have come under relentless Israeli bombardment as the military prepares for a major offensive to seize and ethnically cleanse the area, barring emergency workers from reaching people trapped in the residential Zeitoun neighbourhood.

Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in a controversial escalation of its war in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in the city in the north of the Gaza Strip. It was the enclave's most populous city before the war.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 40 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the territory on Saturday

Israel is intensifying its attacks on Gaza as it prepares to expel Palestinians from Gaza city - as thousands of Israelis hold nationwide anti-war protests.

Netanyahu’s plan paves the way for a phased military takeover of the enclave that could lead to the deaths of more Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages.

Israel's security cabinet has approved plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Israeli military to occupy Gaza City, in an expansion of military operations that comes amid international condemnation of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Israel's goal was not to occupy Gaza, but to "free Gaza."

An airstrike on Gaza City killed at least 12 people as the conflict entered a new phase with an Israeli offensive to rid the city of Hamas and free hostages.

After nearly two years of war, the Israeli military says it controls about 75 percent of Gaza. The United Nations says more than 86 percent of Gaza is within the Israeli militarized zone or under evacuation orders.

Dozens of Palestinians gathered outside a makeshift soup kitchen in Gaza City, many clutching empty pots in hopes of receiving a portion of rice amid food shortages. More than 22 months into Israel's military offensive in Gaza,