The Israeli military announced the early stages of an intensified operation in Gaza aimed at defeating Hamas, with rescuers in the besieged Palestinian territory reporting 10 killed Saturday in fresh strikes.

The stepped-up campaign came as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continued to worsen amid an Israeli aid blockade, with one of the territory's last functioning hospitals warning it was no longer able to treat seriously wounded patients due to shortages of supplies and a nearby attack that damaged the premises.

The army announced in a post that it had begun the "initial stages" of the new offensive, 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".

Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP 10 bodies had been brought to hospitals after strikes on Saturday morning.

Three people were killed and four wounded in drone strikes east of the southern city of Khan Yunis, he said, while three others........

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