The Israeli military is intensifying attacks on Rafah ahead of its planned ground offensive in the city in southern Gaza. Israel says an airstrike on Rafah on Saturday killed a Hamas executive. The AP news agency reports that Israeli airstrikes on homes in Rafah overnight and into Saturday killed at least 44 people, including more than a dozen children.

Israel is threatening to start a ground operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had evacuated. Some governments are warning that the operation could lead to a large number of casualties.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry released a statement on Saturday, saying it condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli threats to storm the city of Rafah. Qatar has been mediating peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces announced on Saturday that they found a tunnel that passed under the building that serves as UNRWA's headquarters. UNRWA stands for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Israeli forces say the tunnel is 700 meters long and 18 meters deep. They also claim that electrical infrastructure connected to the organization's headquarters suggests UNRWA was supplying power to the tunnel.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, however, said that UNRWA did not know what was under its headquarters in Gaza and that UNRWA staff left the facility last October.