ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday that Israeli forces are deployed in more than half of the Gaza Strip, expanding operations beyond a loosely defined boundary known as the “yellow line” that theoretically demarcates and restricts the Israeli presence.

"In these areas, access to humanitarian facilities and assets, including UNRWA’s [the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East], as well as to public infrastructure and agricultural land remains severely restricted or prohibited," the agency said in a post on X, noting that 117 of its facilities are located within the Israeli militarized zone, adding that "access is subject to Israeli approval."

"Airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire continue to be reported across the Gaza Strip, with most incidents occurring in the vicinity of the 'Yellow Line,' resulting in casualties," the statement continued.

Gaza's civil defense agency reported that at least 13 people, incluing five children, were killed in Israeli strikes on the Strip on Thursday despite the existence of a US-backed truce that has been in place since October.

Under the provisions of the peace plan, the Israeli military presence is supposed to remain restricted to the territories marked off by the "yellow line."

The Israeli military claimed the bombing came in response to a projectile launch from Gaza City, asserting that "the strikes targeted several Hamas terrorists, launch pits, and additional terror infrastructure."

UNRWA is preparing to open a new office in Ankara within weeks after signing a final agreement with Turkey, approved by the Turkish parliament, according to its chief, Philippe Lazzarini.

The move comes as the agency faces a severe financial crisis that has forced it to lay off 571 Gaza-based staff, following a sharp drop in voluntary funding.

UNRWA, which has provided aid and public services to Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria for more than seven decades, has come under sustained pressure from Israel.

Israel banned the agency from operating inside its territory last year and has accused it of links to Hamas, allegations that independent investigations said were not backed by conclusive evidence.

Lazzarini has warned that any halt to UNRWA’s work in Gaza or the West Bank would leave a major vacuum in essential public services with no clear replacement.