Israel approves 'minimal' fuel entry increase for Gaza

Israel's security cabinet agreed on Wednesday to allow a "minimal addition" of fuel for entry to the Gaza Strip "to prevent a humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of disease".

In a statement, the Israeli prime minister's office said the amount of fuel would be determined by the cabinet and adjusted based on the local humanitarian situation.

Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Hamas in an expanding offensive into southern Gaza, forcing tens of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians to cram into a city close to the Egyptian border.

The Israeli military said they were carrying out "targeted raids" on Hamas inside the western camp in Khan Yunis.

According to the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa), the Israel targeted two houses in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, and the neighbourhoods of Al-Tuffah, Al-Daraj, and Al-Shuja’iya in Gaza City. Likewise, to the east of Khan Yunis, Al-Fukhari, Khuza’a and Abasan.

This decision comes as the UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of an "imminent complete collapse of public order" in the Gaza Strip, which is subject to continuous Israeli bombing, in an unprecedented message to the Security Council.

Israel unleashed its military campaign in response to a surprise October 7 incursion by Hamas fighters who left 1,200 people dead and seized 240 hostages.

Figures from Gaza's Health Ministry put the death toll at 16,015, including 43 reported by one hospital on Tuesday and 73 by another on Wednesday.