DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes killed at least 36 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Monday, including a pregnant woman and her newborn, local health officials said. Israel meanwhile eased some aid restrictions as it came under mounting pressure over the spiraling hunger crisis in the war-ravaged territory.

The UN has welcomed the pause, which comes as the WHO warns malnutrition has reached "alarming levels" in Gaza.

Israel says it is fighting against Hamas, not Palestinians as a group. But two of Israel’s best-known rights groups — long critical of Israeli policy — now say they disagree.

A pair of leading Israeli human rights groups has accused Israel of “committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” becoming the first such organizations to make the claim.

The two groups said they found deliberate intent by Israeli decision-makers to target the whole population of Gaza and destroy life for the Palestinian people.