At least 44 people were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, rescuers said, a day after a World Food Programme warehouse in the centre of the territory was looted by desperate Palestinians.

Israeli strikes killed at least 44 people in Gaza on Thursday, rescuers said, and two others were earlier killed by gunfire near the newly-opened American aid distribution centre.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.