Some Gazans said there were no signs yet of preparations by Hamas on the ground to resume fighting.
Israel Abandons Ceasefire, Kills at Least 91 People in Gaza. At least 91 Palestinians have been killed and dozens more injured in airstrikes across Gaza after Israel resumed its bombing and ground operations, effectively ending a ceasefire that had lasted for two months, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
After a period of relative calm, people in Gaza are once again fleeing for safety as Israel abandoned the ceasefire and launched a full-scale air and ground assault. Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets over residential areas, instructing people to evacuate from the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, the Shejaia district in Gaza City, and areas on the eastern edge of Khan Younis in the south.
Later on Thursday, Israel’s military confirmed it had started ground operations in Rafah’s Shaboura district, located in the southernmost part of Gaza, near the Egyptian border.
“War is back, displacement and death are back, will we survive this round?” asked Samed Sami, 29, who fled Shejaia and set up a tent for his family in a camp in an open area.
After sending tanks into central Gaza, the Israeli military also confirmed on Thursday that it had started ground operations in the northern part of the densely populated Gaza Strip, specifically along the coastal route in Beit Lahiya.
Although Hamas had not retaliated for the first 48 hours of Israel’s renewed offensive, the group launched rockets into Israel. The Israeli military reported that sirens were triggered in central Israel due to these projectiles being fired from Gaza.
While some Gazans reported no signs of preparations for intensified fighting from Hamas on the ground, an anonymous official linked to the group told Reuters that fighters, including those from Hamas, had been put on high alert and were awaiting further instructions. They were also told to avoid using mobile phones.
Following the collapse of talks to extend the ceasefire, the Israeli military resumed its airstrikes on Gaza with a large-scale bombing campaign on Tuesday, followed by the deployment of ground forces the next day.
Hundreds of Dead
It said on Thursday that its forces had been engaged for the past 24 hours in what it described as an operation to expand a buffer zone separating the northern and southern halves of Gaza, known as the Netzarim corridor.
Israel ordered residents to stay away from the Salahuddin Road, Gaza’s main north-south route and said they should travel along the coast instead.
Tuesday’s first day of resumed airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians, one of the deadliest days of the 17-month-old conflict, with scant let-up since then.
In a blow to Hamas, as it sought to rebuild its administration in Gaza, this week’s strikes have killed some of its top figures, including the de facto Hamas-appointed head of the Gaza government, the chief of security services, his aide, and the deputy head of the Hamas-run justice ministry.
The Islamist group said the Israeli ground operation and the incursion into the Netzarim corridor were a “new and dangerous violation” of the ceasefire agreement. In a statement, it reaffirmed its commitment to the deal and called on mediators to “assume their responsibilities”.
For Israel, a return to full-blown war could prove complicated, some current and former Israeli officials say, amid waning public support and burnout among military reservists. Protesters accuse Netanyahu of continuing the war for political reasons and endangering the lives of the remaining hostages.
A temporary first phase of the ceasefire ended at the start of this month. Hamas wants to move to an agreed second phase, under which Israel would be required to negotiate an end to the assault and withdraw its troops from Gaza, and Israeli hostages still held there would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has offered only a temporary extension of the truce, cut off all supplies to Gaza, and said it was restarting its military campaign to force Hamas to free remaining hostages.
The Israeli military said it had intercepted two missiles fired towards Israel from Yemen on Thursday, one in the early hours and the other in the evening. There were no reports of casualties. Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi forces have occasionally fired missiles at Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
