Israeli media reports that the country's troops are expected to enter the Gaza Strip within 48 hours, surrounding the area. Strong explosions were reported in the northern part of the Gaza Strip as the conflict enters its fifth week following an unexpected attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7.

The temporary communication blackout in the Gaza Strip on Monday, reported by the internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org and confirmed by the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel, has made it difficult for Palestinians and humanitarian workers to contact people outside the territory.

Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said the agency "lost contact with the vast majority" of its members.

This comes after Israeli military planes reportedly struck two refugee camps on Sunday. The Maghazi refugee camp was one of the affected areas, with at least 40 people killed and 34 injured, according to Gaza's health ministry, which is run by Hamas.

A second airstrike hit a house near a school in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Al-Aqsa hospital staff told the AP that at least 13 people were killed.

Israel has not confirmed carrying out the strikes. Israel has stated that it will continue its offensive to crush Hamas, despite calls from the US to even briefly pause for humanitarian assistance.

On the ground, Israeli forces in Gaza report finding weapons caches, sometimes including explosives, suicide drones, and rockets as they operate in the territory.

Gaza's health ministry has reported that over 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, with over 4,000 of them being children and minors.