Dozens more Palestinians martyred in Israeli strikes on Gaza: health ministry

GAZA, Palestine (AFP) - Israeli strikes have martyred dozens more people, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday, including in the territory's south where Israel has intensified operations.

Gaza's health ministry said 93 people had been martyred, including 16 in one 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.

In the occupied West Bank, where violence has surged alongside the war in Gaza, an Israeli raid continued into a second day around Tulkarem, an official said. Palestinian sources reported a sixth person had been killed in the operation.

The latest violence 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 measure provided at least some relief in a region where tensions flared further following Pakistani strikes on an Iranian border region, and new US military action targeting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.  A man sat quietly among the rubble after one strike in Rafah, his head bowed, examining a child's glove.

Umm Walid al-Zamli said she lost her children, and her house. "The eldest was a second-grade girl," she said in a choked voice. "What did they do wrong? We can't rely on anyone, or the Arabs. We can only rely on ourselves."

The Hamas government reported dozens of strikes, including on the southern city of Khan Yunis and Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza. An explosion sounded before a heavy grey cloud of smoke rolled over central-southern Gaza in the early afternoon, live AFPTV images showed.

Israel's military on Thursday said dozens of militants had been killed over the previous day in Khan Yunis, where it reported battles ongoing.