Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip: More than 90 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes over the past 48 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday, as Israel stepped up its military campaign to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages and disarming.

Among the latest casualties are 15 people who were killed overnight, including women and children, some of whom were reportedly sheltering in what Israel designated as a humanitarian zone, according to hospital staff.

At least 11 people died in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, with several victims found in tents located in the Mwasi area—an overcrowded zone housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Israeli strikes also killed four others in Rafah city, including a mother and her daughter, according to officials at the European Hospital, where their bodies were brought.

Israel has announced plans to expand its operations across Gaza and create large "security zones" within the territory. For over six weeks, Israel has enforced a blockade on Gaza, halting the entry of food, fuel, and other essential supplies.

The humanitarian crisis continues to escalate. Aid agencies warn of widespread malnutrition among children, with the majority of the population surviving on one meal a day, according to the United Nations.

On Friday, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the World Health Organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, called on newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to help lift the blockade to allow medicine and aid into Gaza.

“I would wish for him to go in and see the situation firsthand,” she said.

In his first public appearance, Huckabee visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, placing a handwritten prayer said to be from U.S. President Donald Trump into the wall. Huckabee stated that every effort was being made to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 others. While many hostages have since been released in temporary ceasefire agreements, scores remain in captivity. AP