Israeli strikes kill dozens across Gaza as Israel prepares to ramp up offensive

The new bloodshed comes days after Israel approved a plan to intensify its operations in the Palestinian enclave (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 48 people, including women and children, hospital officials said on Wednesday, as Israel prepares to ramp up its campaign against Hamas in a devastating war now entering its 20th month.

The strikes included one attack on Tuesday night on a school sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians, which killed 27 people, officials from the Al-Aqsa Hospital said, including nine women and three children.