The Israeli military has said it launched “extensive strikes” in the Gaza Strip over the past day as part of the “initial stages” of a fresh offensive on the besieged Palestinian territory, AFP reports.

Gaza’s civil defence agency earlier said Israeli strikes on Gaza had killed 100 people yesterday.

The strikes were part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas”, Israel’s army said in a statement in Arabic on Telegram.

The offensive, known as “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”, comes as Israel faces pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade in return for a US-Israeli hostage released by Hamas.

Israeli media reported a day ago that the military had stepped up its offensive in line with a plan approved by the government earlier this month, though there had not been any formal announcement of an expanded campaign.

The military claimed its forces had “struck over 150 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip” in 24 hours.