At least 58 Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight, local health officials said on Thursday, taking the death toll to over 500 since a ceasefire was shattered earlier this week.
The series of strikes on Thursday morning struck houses and buildings in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza and the northern town of Beit Lahiya, officials in the Hamas-run Strip said.
Health officials at various hospitals told the Associated Press they had confirmed 58 deaths so far, while a pro-Hamas news outlet put the toll at more than 70.
Hamas said talks with mediators were underway on Thursday to halt Israel’s renewed offensive on Gaza, where many returned in their homes during the ceasefire to celebrate Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims.
The latest casualties add to the deaths of over 400 Palestinians earlier this week in a major bombardment of Gaza by Israel, the first since the collapse of talks aimed at extending a ceasefire deal.
The death toll in the airstrikes could not be immediately confirmed and the Israeli military is yet to comment on the latest bombardment. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it is deeply embedded in residential areas.
In Rafah, the European Hospital confirmed that 26 people, mostly women and children, have died there in strikes on two homes.
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received the bodies of seven people killed overnight in an attack on a home.
Seven people died in the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza after strikes in a home in Beit Lahiya, a town near the border.
Thursday morning’s strikes came after the Israeli military said it had resumed “targeted ground activities” in central and southern Gaza to retake part of the strategic Netzarim corridor, an area that cuts the besieged territory in half.
It marked one of the deadliest days in the 17-month conflict as at least 130 children were among 430 killed in just two days, according to estimates.
On Wednesday, Israel escalated the violence as its troops pushed deeper into Gaza, with Israeli defence minister Israel Katz issuing a “final warning” to the people in Gaza that unless the hostages were returned and the Hamas militant group eliminated, “the alternative is complete destruction and devastation”.
The renewed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza have intensified concerns over the fate of approximately two dozen hostages still believed to be alive. Thousands of Israelis participated in anti-government protests in Jerusalem, with many demanding a deal to secure the captives’ release.
They also raised concerns of Palestinian families in the north and east of the strip as they were forced to flee their homes again after Israeli quadcopters dropped leaflets telling them to “evacuate”.
Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanou said the moves by ground forces in Gaza were a clear sign that Israel had backed out of the truce and was reimposing a "blockade".
There have been no reports of rocket attacks by Hamas since Tuesday's bombardment.
The latest strikes coincided with Yemen’s Houthi group taking responsibility for a missile attack on Israel which was intercepted on Thursday.
The ballistic missile was launched towards Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the group's military spokesperson said in a televised statement.
The Israeli Defence Forces said sirens sounded in several areas but no one was injured as the attack was thwarted.
The Houthi group has vowed to retaliate, including targeting Israel, following deadly US strikes against them in recent days.
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