Live updates | Palestinian refugee camps shelled in central Gaza as Israel seeks to expand offensive

Israel is apparently preparing to expand its ground offensive in Gaza into a third section of the territory

Israel is apparently preparing to expand its ground offensive in Gaza into a third section of the territory.

Palestinian refugee camps were bombarded in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said.

More than 20,600 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead.

About 1,200 people were killed after Hamas raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, with around 240 people taken hostage. Israel says it aims to free the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.

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