May 20, Kathmandu- Palestinian officials say at least 60 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since Monday night into Tuesday.

Israel has launched another major offensive in the area in recent days, saying it aims to return dozens of hostages taken by Hamas and destroy militant groups.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began allowing a small number of aid trucks into Gaza for the first time in two and a half months, saying he was under pressure to lift a blockade on the territory's two million Palestinians that has raised fears of famine.

But UN agencies say the few trucks that have entered are nowhere near enough to meet the huge need for food, medicine and other supplies. At the beginning of this year, during the ceasefire period, 600 trucks entered daily.

At least 22 people were killed, more than half of them women and children, in two attacks on a family home and a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported that 13 people were killed in the attack in the central city of Deir al Balah, while another attack took place in the Nusirat refugee camp built nearby, and 15 people were killed.

Two attacks in the southern city of Khan Yunis killed 10 people, Nasser Hospital said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The military says it is targeting only militants. The military blames Hamas for the civilian deaths because the group operates in densely populated areas.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on southern Israel. During the war, about 1,200 people, including mostly civilians, were killed in Hamas attacks, while 251 others were kidnapped.

The militants are still holding 58 prisoners in custody. About a third are believed to be alive, after most were returned under ceasefire agreements or other agreements.

Israel's retaliatory attacks have devastated large parts of Gaza, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The war has displaced about 90 percent of the Palestinian population, many of whom have been displaced multiple times.