Gaza hospitals strained as strikes intensify

Alarm has surged about the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza as hospitals struggle to provide adequate care

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Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said Monday more than 5,000 people have been killed in the battered Palestinian enclave since Israel launched its withering bombing campaign just over two weeks ago.

Alarm has surged about the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel struck back following the October 7 Hamas attacks which Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people who were shot, stabbed or burnt by the Islamist militants.

With the military saying it had conducted more than 300 new strikes within 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said the death toll had surged over 5,000, including more than 2,000 children, in figures AFP has not been able to independently verify.

Twenty trucks carrying desperately needed aid arrived in Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Monday, the UN humanitarian agency said, the third convoy in as many days.

Washington vowed a "continued flow" of relief goods into Gaza, which the UN says is facing "catastrophic" conditions and needs to receive 100 trucks of aid per day.