Israel said early Friday that it plans to take over Gaza City, in another escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas. The decision, made after a late-night meeting of top officials, drew Palestinian rejection, fueled mounting international calls to end the war and provoked worries in Israel over the fate of hostages still held by Hamas.

Israel's air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. Another major ground operation would almost certainly exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe.

Relatives of Israeli hostages set sail on Thursday in a flotilla to approach the besieged Gaza Strip, according to an AFP journalist aboard one vessel, with organizers saying they hoped to "get as close as possible to their loved ones".

More than 20 people boarded several boats that departed from the coastal city of Ashkelon carrying yellow flags and posters bearing the images of the hostages, as they shouted their names.

Truck drivers trying to deliver aid inside Gaza say their work has become increasingly dangerous in recent months as people have grown desperately hungry and violent gangs have filled a power vacuum left by the territory's Hamas rulers.

Crowds of hungry people routinely rip aid off the backs of moving trucks, the local drivers said. Some trucks are hijacked by armed men working for gangs who sell the aid in Gaza's markets for exorbitant prices. Israeli troops often shoot into the chaos, they said.

At Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip, nothing is sterilized, so Dr. Jamal Salha and other surgeons wash their instruments in soap. Infections are rampant. The stench of medical waste is overwhelming. And flies are everywhere.

Without painkillers, patients moan while lying on metal beds lining the corridors. There's no electricity and no ventilation amid searing heat, leaving anxious visitors to fan bedridden relatives with pieces of cardboard.

At least 38 Palestinians were killed overnight and into Wednesday in the Gaza Strip while seeking aid from United Nations convoys and sites run by an Israeli-backed American contractor, according to local health officials. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots when crowds approached its forces.

The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announced further military action — and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel's ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some 2 million Palestinians into famine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering ordering the full reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media, a move that would draw fierce opposition internationally and within Israel.

It would mark a stunning escalation of the nearly 22-month war in the territory that has already been largely destroyed and where experts say famine is unfolding. It would put the lives of countless Palestinians and about 20 living hostages at risk, and deepen Israel's already stark international isolation.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for firing a missile at Israel's main airport on Tuesday, as the Israeli military said it intercepted it.

The Iran-backed rebels targeted Ben Gurion airport "using a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile" in support of Palestinians in Gaza, their military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared Tuesday to unveil an updated Gaza war plan designed to destroy Hamas and secure the release of dozens of hostages, with Israeli media reporting he would order the total occupation of the Palestinian territory.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said that Israeli hostages would not receive any "special privileges" in the food they are given compared to the rest of the Gazan population.

"(Hamas) does not intentionally starve the captives, but they eat the same food our fighters and the general public eat. They will not receive any special privileges amid the crime of starvation and siege," Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, wrote in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed "profound shock" over videos showing two emaciated hostages in Gaza, with the EU also denouncing the clips on Sunday and demanding the release of all remaining captives after nearly 22 months of war.