Israel steps up bombing of central Gaza, strikes kill 26 people

Israeli military strikes killed at least 26 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics said, as forces stepped up their bombardment of central areas and tanks pushed deeper into the north and south of the enclave.

The escalation came a day after Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah began a ceasefire in Lebanon, halting more than a year of hostilities and raising hopes among many Palestinians in Gaza for a similar deal with Hamas, which rules the enclave.

Israel's military campaign - with the avowed intent of eradicating Hamas after the group's deadly raid on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 - has laid waste to the enclave of 2.3 million people.

Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 44,200 people and displaced nearly all the enclave's population at least once, Gaza officials say. Vast swathes of the territory are in ruins.

On Thursday, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said at least 70 percent of those killed in Gaza were women and children.