Gaza's civil defence agency said at least 17 people were killed in Israeli strikes as the military intensified its bombardment of Gaza City.
The dead included six civilians who had been waiting for humanitarian aid, said civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal.
"The Israeli occupation forces are intensifying their raids in the Zeitun area" of Gaza City, he said.
The Israeli military has yet to comment.
"For the fourth consecutive day, the area has been subject to a military operation, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries," said Ms Bassal.
"Since dawn today, we have received 28 calls from families and residents of this neighbourhood, some of whose children have been killed.
"Many people cannot leave these areas due to artillery fire," the spokesperson added.
Maram Kashko, a resident of Zeitun, said the strikes had increased over the past four days.
"My nephew, his wife and their children were killed in a bombardment," he said.
An AFP videographer said their bodies were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City and buried shortly afterwards at the Sayyid Hashim cemetery.
Yesterday, the head of the Israeli military said he had approved a new plan for operations in Gaza aimed at freeing all hostages and defeating Hamas.
The military intends to take control of Gaza City and neighbouring refugee camps, some of the most densely populated areas in the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by more than 22 months of war.
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Over the past three days, Zeitun has been the target of repeated air strikes, according to multiple sources, including the military.
Adding to the dire humanitarian situation, Gaza has been experiencing a spell of extreme heat, which is particularly difficult for displaced residents living in tents and makeshift shelters.
US President Donald Trump has said he would like to see journalists gain access to Gaza to see humanitarian efforts.
Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza since the start of its war in October 2023, unless they are under Israeli military escort.
"I'd like to see that happen. Sure," Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I would be very fine with journalists going. And it's a very dangerous position to be in, as you know, if you're a journalist, but I would like to see it."
More than 22 months into Israel's military offensive in Gaza, residents have also been grappling with a worsening hunger crisis.
Four more people died of starvation and malnutrition in the territory in the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. That took the total to 239, including 106 children, since the war began, it said.
Israel disputes malnutrition and hunger figures reported by the health ministry in Gaza, which Hamas took control of in 2007.
Israel's planned seizure of Gaza city - which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing - is probably weeks away, officials say.
In an effort to avert the planned military escalation, Egypt has been trying to revive a push for a ceasefire in Gaza, hosting a Hamas delegation led by the group's chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya.
He told mediators in Cairo yesterday that Hamas was ready to resume ceasefire talks to achieve a temporary truce, and was open to discussing a comprehensive agreement that would end the war, Egyptian and Palestinian sources said.
The latest round of indirect talks in Qatar ended in deadlock in late July with Israel and Hamas trading blame over the lack of progress on a US proposal for a 60-day truce and hostage release deal.
Gaps between the sides appear to remain wide on key issues, including the extent of any Israeli military withdrawal and demands for Hamas to disarm.
NGOs say new Israeli rules keep them from delivering Gaza aid
New Israeli legislation regulating foreign aid groups has been increasingly used to deny their requests to bring supplies into Gaza, according to a joint letter signed by more than 100 groups.
Ties between foreign-backed aid groups and the Israeli government have long been beset by tensions, with officials often complaining the organisations are biased.
"Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorised to deliver aid'," the joint statement reads.
According to the letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring aid into Gaza were rejected in July alone.
In March, Israel's government approved a new set of rules for foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with Palestinians.
The law updates the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked.
Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country.
"Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli said.
"Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," added Mr Chikli, whose ministry directed an effort to produce the new guideline.
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