GAZA / CAIRO – At least 40 Palestinians were killed and 224 others injured in Israeli attacks across the besieged Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to health authorities controlled by Hamas on Saturday.

The latest casualties bring the total Palestinian death toll to 37,834, with 86,858 injuries reported since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, the health authorities said.

Officials added that rescue teams faced significant obstacles in reaching areas targeted by attacks due to fuel shortages and intense clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed factions, particularly in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza and the Shujaeya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City

Officials added that rescue teams faced significant obstacles in reaching areas targeted by attacks due to fuel shortages and intense clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed factions, particularly in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza and the Shujaeya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City.

Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesperson, said in a press statement on Saturday that the Israeli forces are continuing the attack on "terrorist" targets in the Shujaeya area, fighting simultaneously above and below ground.

ALSO READ: Israeli forces push deeper into southern and northern Gaza

During the past hours, the forces eliminated many "saboteurs" in clashes, and the troops found a weapons depot inside a school complex in the area, he added. In Rafah, the Israeli forces eliminated several "saboteurs" and destroyed many "terrorist" infrastructure, including tunnel openings, according to Adraee.

Also on Saturday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East highlighted on social media platform X that hundreds of thousands of Gazans continue to endure severe shortages of shelter, food, medicine, and clean water, exacerbated by restricted access through border crossings.

A temporary floating aid pier operated by the United States, anchored off the coast of Gaza to facilitate humanitarian deliveries, has been removed due to adverse weather conditions, the Pentagon announced on Friday. This marks the third interruption since mid-May.

"Temporarily relocating the pier will prevent potential structural damage that could be caused by the heightened sea state," said Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, during a briefing on Friday.

The pier is not an end-all solution to getting aid into Gaza, Singh said, adding that land routes are the most effective delivery method.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

Meanwhile, Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday discussed with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel the course of ongoing negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

During a phone call, Kamel also extended his condolences to Haniyeh for the killing of his older sister and other relatives in an Israeli airstrike a few days ago, according to a press statement issued by Hamas.

ALSO READ: Israel confirms deaths of 4 more hostages in Hamas captivity

The call came after Israel's Hebrew public radio Kan reported that the US administration presented a revised version of a prisoner exchange deal that includes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The new offer is based on the proposal approved by the then-Israeli war cabinet and presented by US President Joe Biden last month, the radio said.

On Friday, a Hamas source said the movement received a new message from the United States regarding the prisoner exchange deal with Israel, noting that the message was passed through intermediaries to continue negotiations for a truce in Gaza.

Qatari and Egyptian mediators, in addition to the United States, are seeking to reach a prisoner exchange deal and a second truce between Israel and Hamas, following the first truce that lasted a week until early December 2023.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Saturday strongly condemned an Israeli plan to legalize settlement outposts in the West Bank and impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority

In Cairo, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Saturday strongly condemned an Israeli plan to legalize settlement outposts in the West Bank and impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority (PA).

In a statement, he labeled the Israeli plan as a "complete coup against the Oslo agreement," and accused the Israeli government of trying to dismantle the PA and having no interest in promoting peace in the region.

As the international community aspires to expand the recognition of the Palestinian state, the AL chief said Israel's actions appear "embarrassing and humiliating."

On Thursday, according to Israeli state-owned Kan TV, the Israeli security cabinet in a session discussed a plan proposed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to address the recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries and measures taken against Israel in international courts. The plan involves taking punitive measures against the PA, legalizing five settlement outposts in the West Bank, and issuing tenders for constructing thousands of housing units in the settlements.

READ MORE: Hamas says ready to reach 'full agreement' if Israel stops war

According to Smotrich's proposal, five settlement outposts will be legalized in response to the five countries that recognized a Palestinian state following the outbreak of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Oct 7, 2023.

Some ministers and military personnel reportedly expressed opposition to the plan, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not state his position on the matter but temporarily suspended the session for consultations, according to Kan TV.

Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and has since established settlements there, which are widely regarded as violations of international law.