Dozens of Palestinians have died after the resumption of attacks by Israeli military in Gaza. Gaza's Ministry of Health says at least 109 people have been killed since the renewal of the attacks on Friday. This is after talks to extend a week-old truce with Hamas broke down. Eastern areas of Khan Younis in southern Gaza came under intensive bombardment as the deadline lapsed shortly after dawn, with columns of smoke rising into the sky. Israeli army dropped leaflets telling people in parts of already bombarded and densely populated southern Gaza to evacuate to nearby areas, signaling an expanding offensive.
The truce, which lasted for a week, paved the way for hostages from both sides to be freed and allowed for more humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave.
Israel and Hamas accused each other of wrecking the negotiations, though the White House singled out the Palestinian militant group, saying it had failed to produce a new list of hostages to release to enable an extension of the truce.
The U.N. said the fighting would worsen an extreme humanitarian emergency. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office in Geneva, while describing the situation said, "Hell on Earth has returned to Gaza."
The Israeli army says five members of its security forces have been wounded due to a mortar strike around the southern community of Nirim.
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli soldiers “with appropriate weapons” close to a military position along the border.
The Israeli army said in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) that it identified a “number of launches” from Lebanon toward its positions and responded with artillery fire.
It added that fire from Lebanon was directed at army posts “in the area of Rosh Hankara and Margaliot as well as towards the city of Kiryat Shmona”, and that its air defences successfully intercepted the attack.
More than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll stands at about 1,200.
