Israel's military has said the expansion of its operations is aimed at "achieving all the war's objectives" including releasing hostages and "the defeat of Hamas".
The intensified assault comes as international concern has mounted over worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza due to an Israeli aid blockade since March 2.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP on Sunday that 22 people were killed and at least 100 others wounded in a predawn attack on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Al-Mawasi, in the southern Gaza Strip.
AFPTV footage showed people sifting through the wreckage of ruined shelters and rescuers treating the wounded.
At a hospital in nearby Khan Yunis city, young men mourned over the shrouded bodies of loved ones laid out on the ground outside.
In northern Gaza, Bassal said seven people were killed in a strike on a house in Jabalia, while the Al-Awda hospital in the same area reported damage.
Four more deaths were recorded in the central area of Al-Zawayda and in Khan Yunis in the south, according to Bassal.
He said that the "series of violent Israeli air strikes" across Gaza overnight and in the early morning resulted in a total of "at least 33 martyrs, more than half of whom were children".
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
- 'Ceasefire, now' -
The announcement of Israel's stepped-up campaign drew international criticism on Saturday.
UN chief Antonio Guterres, addressing an Arab League summit in Baghdad, said he was "alarmed" at the escalation and called for "a permanent ceasefire, now".
The summit's final statement urged the international community "to exert pressure to end the bloodshed".
Italy urged Israel to stop the strikes, while Germany said it was "deeply concerned". European Council President Antonio Costa said he was "shocked by the news from Gaza".
Israel resumed its operations in the territory on March 18, ending a two-month truce in the war.
In Tel Aviv, demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and demand it strike a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
"Instead of bringing them all home by agreeing to the deal that is on the table, Netanyahu is dragging us into a needless political war that will lead to the death of the hostages and soldiers," said protester Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of slain hostage Avraham Munder.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.
- Doha talks -
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said Saturday that new talks on ending the war had begun in Doha "without any preconditions from either side".
Previous negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States failed to secure a breakthrough, but the talks have been ongoing.
Netanyahu's Likud party said he had been "in continuous contact" with the Israeli delegation and had ordered the negotiators "to remain in Doha for the time being".
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir argued against a deal, saying "now is not the time to pull back".
Israel has faced increasing pressure to lift its aid blockade, as UN agencies warn of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicine.
Marwan Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, said that the situation there was "catastrophic" amid nearby attacks and "a severe shortage" of supplies.
On Sunday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza accused Israel of laying siege to the hospital, where it said "a state of panic and confusion is prevailing... severely hampering the provision of emergency medical care".
Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The Gaza health ministry said that at least 3,131 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,272.
Israel launches expanded Gaza offensive aimed at defeating Hamas
Palestinian Territories (AFP) May 17, 2025 -
Israel's military launched intensified Gaza operations on Saturday aimed at "the defeat of Hamas", with rescuers in the besieged Palestinian territory reporting at least 10 killed by new Israeli strikes.
The stepped-up campaign came amid increasing international concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza which continues to worsen amid an Israeli aid blockade.
One of the territory's last functioning hospitals warned it could no longer treat seriously wounded patients because of shortages and damage from a nearby attack.
It also came as Hamas said a new round of indirect negotiations with Israel "without any preconditions" aimed at ending the war had started in Doha.
Israel's military called the new operation part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war's objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas".
It said it had "launched extensive strikes and transferred forces to seize control of areas within the Gaza Strip".
Addressing an Arab League summit in Baghdad, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said he was "alarmed" at the expansion, adding: "We need a permanent ceasefire, now."
The summit's final statement urged the international community "to exert pressure to end the bloodshed and ensure that urgent humanitarian aid can enter without obstacles".
Italy urged Israel to stop its military strikes, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani saying: "Enough with the attacks."
The German government said it was "deeply concerned" about the Israeli offensive.
Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 10 bodies were brought to hospitals on Saturday morning a day after Israeli strikes killed at least 100 people.
In the central city of Deir el-Balah, displaced Gazans sifted through belongings, some bloodstained, for whatever could be salvaged after overnight strikes hit their tents.
"We woke up at half past two in the morning to the sound of a loud explosion that shook the entire area," said Umm Fadi Quzaat.
"There was blood and body parts everywhere."
Israel resumed its Gaza offensive on March 18, ending a two-month truce in the war triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday denounced the renewed attacks and what he described as an apparent push to permanently displace Gaza's inhabitants as being "tantamount to ethnic cleansing".
- Doha talks -
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said Saturday new talks on ending the war had begun in Doha "without any preconditions from either side".
"Hamas will present its viewpoint on all issues, especially ending the war, (Israel's) withdrawal and prisoner exchange," he added.
Previous negotiations failed to secure a breakthrough, but the talks have been ongoing, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying this week he had told negotiators to head for the Qatari capital.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz credited the intensified campaign with bringing Hamas back to the table -- "in contrast to the recalcitrant position they had taken up until that moment".
Both sides have insisted on certain conditions, with Hamas saying disarmament was a red line and Netanyahu unwilling to agree to a deal that would leave the group intact.
At the Arab League summit, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called on leaders to adopt a Palestinian Authority-led plan to end the war under which "Hamas would relinquish its control" of Gaza and "hand over its weapons" to the PA.
The plan would also involve a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, humanitarian aid entering Gaza and an Israel's withdrawal from the Strip, he said, as well as "a political process" for implementing a two-state solution.
- 'Catastrophic' -
Israel has faced increasing pressure to lift its aid blockade, as UN agencies warn of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
Marwan Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, said the situation there Saturday was "catastrophic after its surroundings were targeted again this morning".
The hospital was "unable to receive any more critical cases" amid "a severe shortage" of blood units, medicine and supplies, he said.
Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said 3,131 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,272.
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