- Israel moots full Gaza takeover
- US to enhance role in aid supply
Updating an earlier toll, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that 56 people were killed by Israeli gunfire in three different incidents in north, central and southern Gaza, while another 12 were killed in three separate air strikes.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump discussed plans for Washington to significantly increase its role in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, Axios reported Tuesday, citing two US officials and an Israeli official.
The report said the discussions took place in a meeting between Witkoff and Trump on Monday at the White House, adding Israel supported the increased US role.
Axios cited a US official as saying the Trump administration will "take over" management of the humanitarian effort in Gaza because Israel is not handling it adequately.
The Israeli cabinet is set to convene Wednesday as Israel considers a full Gaza takeover, Israeli media reported Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favours a complete military takeover of Gaza, media reported, and was to meet senior security officials later Tuesday to finalise a new strategy in the 22-month war.
Mediation between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas has collapsed despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said.
Netanyahu was to meet Defence Minister Israel Katz and military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet later this week.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also be present.
Israel's Channel 12, citing an official from Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory. That would reverse a 2005 decision to pull settlers and military out of Gaza while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there.
It was unclear, however, whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages. The prime minister's office declined to comment on the Channel 12 report.
Throughout the war, there has been sustained international pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages, of whom Israeli officials estimate 20 are believed to still be alive.
A Palestinian official said the threat of a full takeover of Gaza may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports.
Israel's coalition government, the most right-wing and religiously conservative in its history, includes far-right politicians who advocate for the annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank and encourage Palestinians to leave their homeland.
Israel's campaign has forced nearly all of Gaza's over 2mn people from their homes and caused what a global hunger monitor called last week an unfolding famine.
Some 188 Palestinians, including 94 children, have died from hunger since the war began, according to Gaza authorities.