Israel's military said preparation is underway for the next stage of its offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The military said on Sunday that it is preparing for the next phase of operations with the deployment of ground troops.

Observers say Israeli forces are apparently getting ready for large-scale activity, including a ground assault in the Gaza Strip.

Authorities in Gaza said on Sunday that 2,329 people have died in the area since the recent fighting broke out between Israel and Hamas about a week ago.

When Israeli troops last carried out a ground offensive in Gaza in 2014, 2,251 people in the area died during the 50-day period from the start of the incursion until a cease-fire.

The latest conflict has claimed at least 1,300 lives on the Israeli side.

Israeli forces announced they had struck over 100 military targets in Gaza, including command centers and launchers, in attacks through Sunday morning. They said the attacks had killed a senior Hamas official.

The military also claimed that Hamas is preventing residents in northern Gaza from evacuating, after Israel warned them to flee to the south.

The situation in the southern part of Gaza appears to be already serious. Footage taken by Reuters news agency on Saturday in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza showed a 4-year-old girl being carried to a hospital. Fourteen of her family members, including her parents, were killed by an airstrike.

Other Reuters footage showed many people taking shelter at a school operated by the United Nations.