Palestinian rescuers have reported 120 people killed in the past 24 hours in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a US-backed organisation said it intends to begin distributing aid by the end of the month, AFP reports.

Aid to Gaza has been cut off since March 2, a tactic Israel has said is intended to force concessions from Hamas, but the group insisted that the restoration of humanitarian assistance was “the minimum requirement” for talks.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said the death toll from Israeli bombardment since dawn yesterday had risen to 120.

Following the latest deaths, Hamas called on the international community to hold Israel to account for what it described as a “barbaric escalation”.