DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Two separate Israeli strikes killed at least 13 people, including women and children, in Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian medical officials said, as Israel announced the first delivery of aid in weeks to war-battered northern Gaza.

Israeli attacks have created deplorable conditions across Gaza, but humanitarian groups say the month-long siege of towns in the north have essentially rendered the area unlivable.And they accuse Israel's military of inflicting starvation and destruction to ensure hundreds of thousands of Palestinians can never return to their homes.

The Israeli military said on Friday it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip. The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza,

The Biden administration is stepping up criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a 30-day deadline looms for Israeli officials to meet certain requirements or risk potential restrictions on military assistance.

- A convoy of Israeli armored military vehicles leaves the Gaza Strip through the Kissufim crossing into Israel, Sept. 12, 2005. Israel said Nov. 8, 2024, that it is preparing to open the crossing amid pressure for more humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defence Forces said they, along with Israeli agency COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories: Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip) said it is preparing to open the Kissufim crossing.