Sixty-one Palestinians were killed and 308 others injured in the latest Israeli attacks across Gaza on August 23, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, as Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City with tanks entering the Sabra neighborhood in the city center.

Medical staff in southern Gaza said Israeli military airstrikes targeted multiple tents sheltering displaced people, killing at least 14, most of them women and children.

After the United Nations confirmed famine in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities said on Saturday that eight more Palestinians, including two children, died from malnutrition over the past 24 hours. "The famine is silently ravaging the bodies of civilians, depriving children of their right to life, and turning tents and hospitals into daily scenes of tragedy," Munir al-Bursh, the director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said on social media.

Since the outbreak of the current round of conflict on October 7, 2023, Israeli operations in Gaza have resulted in 62,622 deaths and 157,673 injuries.

On August 21, The Guardian reported that Israeli military intelligence estimated only 17 percent of total deaths in Gaza by May were fighters, with civilians making up about 83 percent – an unusually high toll in modern conflicts.

In response, the Israeli military said that the data listed in the article was incorrect, but did not provide further explanation.

Ongoing offensive

The Times of Israel reported that tens of thousands of Israeli reservists are expected to take part in an offensive that could begin in the coming weeks, with September 2 mentioned as a possible starting date.

Gaza City, in the north of the enclave, is regarded by Israel as the stronghold of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and a location where hostages are being held. In a video address on August 21, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the immediate resumption of negotiations with Hamas, but would ultimately approve a military plan to seize Gaza City and "defeat Hamas."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media on August 22 that the army had approved an operational plan for Gaza City "including intense firepower strikes, civilian evacuations and ground offensives, which will completely crush Hamas."

Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel resumed in Doha, Qatar, on July 6. But after rejecting Hamas' ceasefire proposals, Israel recalled its delegation on July 24, and on August 8 unveiled a plan to take control of Gaza City, sparking opposition and condemnation domestically and abroad. 

(With input from agencies)