agency. A coalition of major aid groups on Wednesday called on the international community to take strong action to stop Israel’s assault on Gaza City after a UN commission of experts concluded that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has neared 65,000 as Israel expands its military campaign in the already devastated north.

“The situation in Gaza is not only an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, but also a genocide according to the conclusions of the UN Investigative Commission,” the statement said. Rhetoric and half-measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action. ’

The message was signed by leaders of more than 20 organisations, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, ANERA and Save the Children. The statement came a day after Israel launched its offensive on Gaza City. Nearly two years after the war began, Israel has vowed to take full control of the city.

On Wednesday, hospital officials in Gaza said at least 13 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in overnight attacks. Shifa district officials said more than half of those killed in the attack in Gaza City were from the same family, including a mother and a child.

Three people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in a house attack on the Nusirat refugee camp in central Gaza, al-Awada hospital said. Nasser district confirmed that two parents and their child were killed in an attack on a tarpaulin in the Muwassey area near Khan Younis.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attacks, but in the past it has accused Hamas of building military infrastructure inside civilian areas.

More than 64,900 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza’s health ministry. About half of the dead were women and children. Although the ministry is run by Hamas, doctors there have confirmed this.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it would open the Salah al-Din road for two days for those fleeing south of Gaza City. Before the attack, about 1 million people were in the Gaza City area, of which about 350,000 had fled, the military said.

According to the United Nations, more than 220,000 people were displaced from northern Gaza last month alone. Hundreds of thousands of people are still trapped in the city. According to an Israeli military graphic, the aim is to take control of the entire Gaza Strip, except for some areas along the coastline. The military has previously carried out major raids on Gaza City, causing displacement and destruction, but the militants appeared likely to regroup. This time, it is claimed that the entire city will be taken under control.

According to Israeli military officials, there are currently about two thousand to three thousand Hamas fighters left in Gaza City. It is believed that the tunnels are still being used. Although Hamas’s military capabilities have been weakened, they have continued to use small guerrilla groups to detonate explosives or carry out surprise attacks on military posts.