Israeli ground and air forces stepped up operations on the outskirts of Gaza City this week, shelling the Zeitoun, Shujaiya and Sabra districts as part of a drive to seize the territory’s largest urban centre nearly two years into the war. Local medical sources said at least 16 people were killed across the strip on 28 August, while the Gaza Health Ministry reported 71 deaths in the previous 24 hours, bringing the conflict’s toll to almost 63,000. The escalation coincided with a White House session chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump to draft a post-war reconstruction and governance plan for the enclave, according to special envoy Steve Witkoff. The meeting follows mounting international pressure on Israel to accept a draft 60-day cease-fire and hostage-release deal already endorsed by Hamas but still awaiting an Israeli response. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that an expanded assault on Gaza City would be “beyond catastrophic,” saying civilians are dying from hunger because of what he called “deliberate decisions that defy basic humanity.” The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates some 20,000 people have fled south since mid-August and has declared a famine in Gaza governorate, citing systematic obstacles to aid deliveries. World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain, returning from a visit to the strip, said she met women and children who were “starving” and urged swifter Israeli clearances so the agency can reopen 200 food-distribution points. Guterres reiterated calls for an immediate and lasting cease-fire, unfettered humanitarian access and the release of the roughly 50 hostages still held by militants, warning that the conflict is entering “a new and dangerous phase.”