Israel says that in a 24-hour period it struck more than 400 targets in the Gaza Strip. Health authorities in Gaza said the number of children killed in Gaza has topped 2,700 accounting for nearly half of the total.

Local media say that in a 24-hour period, about 850 people were killed in Gaza.

The humanitarian situation is dire, with many hospitals in Gaza unable to treat the wounded without electricity.

A UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees says it will run out of fuel to power generators by Wednesday night. It says it will have no choice but to stop its work in Gaza.

Israel is not allowing in fuel, saying it could be diverted to Hamas. Time is running out for people in desperate need of food, water and other necessities.

In Israel, more than 1,400 people were killed. 220 people taken by Hamas as hostages are still being held. A US-based news website reports that a number of Israeli officials say that Israel is looking to delay a ground assault for a few days to allow negotiations on releasing the hostages.

Meanwhile, Washington is concerned about the conflict spreading across the Middle East. Iranian-backed forces are mounting drone strikes against US military bases in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon says there have been 13 drone strikes since Tuesday of last week.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says " The United States does not seek conflict with Iran. We do not want this war to widen."

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US is deploying surface-to-air missiles and missile defense systems to several countries across the Middle East - including Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.