Cairo, Feb 28 (IANS): Egypt is setting up a third refugee camp in the Gaza Strip and preparing a field hospital for Palestinians displaced by Israeli attacks, media reported.

The camp will be in northern Deir el-Balah province in central Gaza, a Egyptian TV channel said on Tuesday, citing a security source.

It said Egypt had already finished its second camp in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, with 400 tents, toilets, water and electricity for up to 4,000 people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Egypt aims to help thousands of Palestinians who fled their homes amid Israeli air strikes and artillery fire, the source said.

Israel launched a major offensive against Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza, after a Hamas raid across the border on October 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 Israelis and took more than 200 hostages.

Egyptian Air Forces also dropped 45 tonne of humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, to north and central Gaza, Al-Qahera News TV said.

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has risen to 29,878 since October 7, 2023, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas militants and infrastructure, but many civilians have been killed or injured.