GAZA/JERUSALEM, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 48 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, as the Israeli army continues to deepen its military operation in the neighborhoods of Gaza City, according to Gaza's civil defense authority.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense authority in Gaza, told Xinhua that 48 bodies arrived at hospitals across Gaza on Saturday after Israeli attacks struck residential homes and tents sheltering displaced people since dawn.

Basal said that among the dead, three were killed by Israeli gunfire in front of an aid distribution center in the central Netzarim axis.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces are advancing deeper into Gaza City. Witnesses told Xinhua that the Israeli army was launching intensive raids in surrounding neighborhoods and detonating drone-dropped bombs between houses amid heavy artillery shelling and gunfire.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Saturday that its troops "continue operational activity against the terrorist organizations throughout the Gaza Strip."

"Over the past day, the air force struck approximately 120 terror targets, including military structures, terrorists, and additional terrorist infrastructure," it added.

Humanitarian and international organizations warned of the almost complete collapse of the health system in Gaza due to the escalation of the military operation, amid fears for the remaining residents of the city, estimated at 400,000 people, of worsening humanitarian conditions.

Umm Rafik Salem, a mother of three who remained in Gaza, told Xinhua that the situation in the city was "becoming more difficult in light of the military escalation and the scarcity of food, medical and supplies."

Salem, 42, added, "Markets are scarce of goods. Vendors and kitchens that used to provide free food were displaced to the south."

Gaza City is also facing a water crisis, with available supplies meeting less than 25 percent of daily needs, according to Assem Al-Nabih, spokesperson for the Gaza Municipality.

Al-Nabih told Xinhua that about 15,000 cubic meters of water are currently supplied each day through Israeli water company Mekorot -- an unstable amount -- in addition to around 10,000 cubic meters drawn from local wells.

Israel has been waging a large-scale war in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, following a surprise attack carried out by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel, which, according to Israeli authorities, resulted in the death of about 1,200 people and the detention of 251 hostages.

The two-year war has killed nearly 66,000 Palestinians, according to the health authorities in the Gaza Strip, in addition to significant destruction of buildings and infrastructure. ■