Over 100 nonprofit groups have warned that Israel's rules for aid organizations in Gaza and the West Bank will block crucial relief efforts.

The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Most aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after ending a ceasefire. Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organisations say the flow is far below what is needed.

Israel has allowed more aid to flow into Gaza, under intense pressure over Palestinians starving to death, but the U.N. says much more is still needed.

As France prepares to airdrop another 36 tonnes of aid into Gaza by next week, more than 100 NGOs have accused Israel of "weaponising" relief supplies. They say new registration rules have left goods stuck in Jordan and Egypt while Palestinians face starvation.

NGOs say Israel uses blockades and bureaucratic red tape to prevent needed humanitarian aid from reaching the war-ravaged population in Gaza

The local pause in fighting came days after ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in doubt.

A group of militants posing as aid workers in Gaza have been killed in an Israeli strike, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday.

Local health officials say at least 38 Palestinians were killed overnight and during the day in the Gaza Strip while seeking aid from United Nations convoys and sites run by an Israeli-backed American contractor.

France has said it plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state in a reflection of Israel's growing isolation over its conduct in Gaza.