Palestinian death toll in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has climbed to at least 63,557, as nine more people, including three children, starved to death, the Health Ministry confirmed Monday.
A ministry statement said that 98 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 404 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 160,660 in the Israeli onslaught.
The ministry also noted that 46 Palestinians were killed and over 239 others injured by Israeli army fire while trying to get humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid to 2,294, with over 16,839 others wounded since May 27.
The ministry said that nine more Palestinians, including three children, died of malnutrition and starvation in the last 24 hours. This brought the famine-linked death toll since October 2023 to 348 people, including 127 children.
Since March 2, Israeli authorities have completely closed all Gaza border crossings, pushing the territory's 2.4 million population into famine.
A U.N.-backed food security assessment has already confirmed famine in northern Gaza and expects it to spread further south by the end of September.
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosives-laden vehicles in one suburb as airstrikes killed at least 19 people Monday, Palestinian officials and witnesses said.
Israel is pushing ahead with a plan to take full control of the whole Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas and rescuing the remaining 48 hostages after nearly two years of war.
Residents said Israeli forces sent old armoured vehicles into the eastern parts of the overcrowded Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, then blew them up remotely, destroying several houses and forcing more families to flee.
In leaflets dropped over Gaza City, Israel's military told residents to head south immediately, saying the army intended to expand its offensive westward.
"People are confused, stay and die, or leave toward nowhere," Sheikh Radwan resident Mohammad Abu Abdallah told Reuters.
"It was a night of horror, explosions never stopped, and the drones never stopped hovering over the area. Many people quit their homes fearing for their lives, while others have no idea where to go," the 55-year-old said over a chat app.
The reports came as the president of the world's leading genocide scholars' association said it had passed a resolution saying the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
There was no immediate response from Israel on the accounts of the Gaza City offensive or on the statement from the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Israel has, in the past, denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
The Israeli military, however, issued a statement saying its forces were fighting Hamas across the enclave and over the past day had struck several military structures and outposts that had been used to stage alleged attacks on its troops.
Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security Cabinet to discuss the new offensive in Gaza City.
Israel's military has warned its political leaders that the planned offensive could endanger hostages. Protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of the hostages have intensified in the past weeks.
The war was triggered by Hamas' October 2023 incursion into southern Israel, where around 1,200 people died and 251 were taken hostage. Twenty of the remaining 48 hostages are believed to still be alive.
Cease-fire talks ended in July in deadlock and efforts to revive them have so far failed.
