Tel Aviv, 18 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Fierce Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip reportedly killed 81 people overnight and into Sunday morning, with many more injured.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said most of the victims were women and children.

Citing medics, WAFA reported more than 20 people were killed and around 100 injured in a strike on the Al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza.

The attack allegedly hit tents sheltering displaced persons. These accounts could not be independently confirmed. The Israeli military said in response to an inquiry that it is investigating the incident.

WAFA reported multiple deadly attacks across different areas of the coastal enclave.

Israel's military announced on Friday it was intensifying its pressure on the Islamist group Hamas, which is still holding dozens of hostages, by launching "extensive strikes."

Israeli authorities said the plans include capturing and holding territory, along with relocating hundreds of thousands of civilians from the north to the south of the strip.

Observers fear the new offensive - named Gideon's Chariots by the military - will lead to many more deaths in the coastal strip, where people are living in catastrophic conditions.

The Israeli military has not allowed aid deliveries into Gaza for more than two months, accusing Hamas of reselling aid supplies to the increasingly destitute population.