Gaza's civil defence agency said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had killed at least 46 people, including 36 in Gaza City, which Israel's defence minister has told residents to flee.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the rescue agency, said several deaths resulted from attacks in the north of the territory, to the west of Gaza City. Drone strikes also killed two people in Al Zawayda and two people at a camp in Nuseirat, both in central Gaza, Bassal added.
Two aid seekers were killed by Israeli gunfire southwest of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, he said.
The Israeli army has pursued an offensive against Gaza City since September 16.
The strikes come as Defence Minister Israel Katz warned the military was tightening its encirclement of Gaza City, telling residents to flee south, as Hamas weighs US President Donald Trump's plan to end nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States' own security, according to a document published on Wednesday that says US forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation.
The executive order - which appears to significantly deepen the US commitment to its Middle East ally - comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an air strike on Doha.
That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington, given the close US relationship with Qatar.
The document was dated on Monday, the day Trump hosted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and presented a proposal for ending the war in Gaza. Qatar has been a key mediator between the US and Israel and Hamas over the war.
"The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States," the order said.
"In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures - including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military - to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability."
The document said top US defence and intelligence officials will maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks. SEE ALSO P6
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