The overall toll of 52,243 includes nearly 700 bodies for which the documentation process was recently completed, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its latest update.

Israeli authorities say the renewed offensive and tightened blockade are aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.

Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month. It has cut off the territory's 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March in what it says is an attempt to pressure the militant group to release hostages.

The German, French and British foreign ministries issued a joint statement that singled out Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments on aid as “unacceptable.”

Western governments and NGOs warned of mass starvation in the Palestinian territory if aid isn't allowed to flow.

Anera's community kitchens in Khan Younis feeds some 6,000 people each day A hot meal is hard to come by in the Gaza Strip, but a lunch for needy families in the south is about to be delivered by donkey and cart.