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War-weary Gazans were bracing for a major Israeli escalation today after they were warned of an imminent and ‘unprecedented attack’ on the Strip’s south. Hundreds of thousands were told to flee stricken communities around the town of and head west towards the sea as fresh horror was expected from the attack.

warned the assault was aimed at trying to “destroy the capabilities of terrorist organisations in the area” in a major bid to smash Hamas diehards. The military warned in a message: "You must evacuate immediately west to the Mawasi area. From this moment Khan Younis will be considered a ."

The was heralded by an undercover special forces strike from troops posing as locals on a militant leader in Gaza. It came after a week of soaring bloodshed which claimed the lives of well over 500 Palestinians, more than 140 in a weekend of carnage through the Strip.

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By midday on Monday Israel had smashed targets in Gaza with more than 30 major airstrikes, killing at least 30 locals, although how many were Hamas is unknown. That adds to the 53,000 already killed in the war, triggered by the Hamas attacks in southern Israel on in 2023 during which 1,200 were killed.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian are suffering from the effects of a three month food, water, medication and water blockade. But Israel’s curt message to Gazans merely added: “Terrorist organizations have brought you disaster. For your safety, evacuate immediately.”

Prime Minister said his decision to resume limited aid to Gaza after a lengthy blockade came after pressure from allies. He admitted allies had said they would not be able to grant Israel the support it needs to win the war so long as there were "images of hunger" coming out of the Palestinian territory.

aid groups and some European allies for its blockade of goods into the war-ravaged territory. On Sunday it said it would allow a "basic" amount of aid into Gaza to prevent a "hunger crisis" from developing.

Food experts have already warned that the blockade risked sparking famine in Gaza, a territory of roughly 2 million people. The decision to let in aid comes as Israel steps up its offensive in the n what it says is a bid to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal on Israel's terms.

is already reduced mostly to rubble from an earlier major ground and air offensive aimed at wiping out Hamas. Under the newly launched air and ground offensive, Israel plans to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and secure aid distribution inside the territory.

said Monday that the plan would include "taking control of all of Gaza." Under the Trump administration, the United States - Israel's top ally - has mostly avoided criticizing Israel's steps in its war against Hamas.

It blames the militant group for the humanitarian crisis. But it has increasingly highlighted the plight of civilians in Gaza. President on his recent trip to the Middle East - a visit where he did not stop in Israel - voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

In a video statement posted to social media, Netanyahu said that Israel's allies had voiced concern about "images of hunger." He said” Israel's "greatest friends in the ," had said there is "one thing we cannot stand. “We cannot accept images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that.

“We will not be able to support you." He added: "Therefore to achieve victory, we need to somehow solve the problem.” Netanyahu has been under pressure from two far-right governing partners not to send aid back into Gaza.

A U.N. official said a shipment of 20 aid trucks carrying mostly food is expected to enter the Strip later today on Monday. A press photographer saw at least three trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Israeli side of a crossing with Gaza but they drove off back into Israel shortly after.

As the aid waited to enter the territory again, fighting continued to rage there, including an early morning raid on Khan Younis by Israeli undercover special forces. The force killed Ahmed Sarhan, a leader of the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, in a shootout, the militant group said, and detained his wife and child.

The forces drove in on a civilian vehicle and carried out the raid under heavy aircover, killing at least six people, including Sarhan, according to Nasser Hospital. They carried what appeared to be luggage and blankets on top of their white vehicle.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the apparent raid. War in Gaza has triggered other conflicts as Israel has come under attack from Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran proxies in and Houthi rebels in Yemen - as the West bank has also seen widespread violence break out.