At least sixteen people were killed and several others injured in the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza as reports emerged that people were killed near a humanitarian distribution centre on Monday, according to Palestinian sources.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that there were also fatalities in other parts of the Gaza Strip. Among them were several women and children.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the reports.

The Israeli military announced an expansion of its offensive against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the coastal strip after negotiations on a ceasefire initially failed to produce an agreement.

The military said that in the past 24 hours, it had “expanded its ground offensive, eliminated terrorists and destroyed weapons caches and numerous terrorist infrastructure facilities above and below ground.”

The air force also attacked dozens of targets, it said.

The Hamas-controlled health authority says more than 54,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Gaza war more than a year and a half ago.

The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage and abducted to the Gaza Strip.

Hamas: More deaths near Gaza food distribution centre

Elsewhere, Hamas said the Israeli army had again killed people near a humanitarian aid distribution centre during attacks in Gaza.

The organization’s media office said on Monday that “three starving civilians” were killed in Rafah. According to the information available, 35 people were also injured.

The Israeli military said that soldiers had wanted to prevent suspects who posed a threat to them from approaching, and had fired warning shots.

The incident occurred about 1 kilometre away from a distribution point in Rafah during the night, outside the centre’s operating hours.

The army was aware of reports of casualties, and added that “the details of the incident are being thoroughly investigated.”

The Israeli military does not prevent civilians from reaching the distribution centres, it emphasized, and said that “Hamas is doing everything in its power to undermine food distribution in the Gaza Strip.”

The Interior Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, has called on residents to boycott the new distribution mechanism.

According to the Hamas media office, a total of 52 people have been killed at the distribution points since they opened last week.

The information from both sides could not be independently verified.

Reports: Israeli military kills 14-year-old boy in West Bank

A 14-year-old Palestinian boy has been shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and local media reported on Monday.

The incident occurred in a village, north of Ramallah.

The Israeli military stated that its forces opened fire on a Palestinian who had attempted to throw stones at a road and had also hurled “two bottles containing a dangerous substance” at soldiers.

However, the military did not initially confirm the identity or age of the individual.

Tensions in the occupied West Bank have worsened since the war in Gaza began.

Since then, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 928 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in Israeli military operations and armed clashes.

There has also been increased violence by radical Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.