At least 58 Palestinians were killed on strike across Gaza on Israel's third consecutive night, with many more injured, according to medical officials at the Strip hospital.
The death toll is expected to increase as more casualties were excavated from the tile rub in the southern cities of Rafa and Khan Yunis and the northern town of Beit Rahiya.
The timing of the strike in the new Israeli attack that began Tuesday appears to have increased the proportion of women and children among the victims, with plenty of sleep when missiles attack.
The first wave of airstrikes on Tuesday shattered a two-month suspension in hostilities, killing more than 400 people, according to Gaza's health ministry. The deaths included 183 children and 94 women, Palestinian officials said.
There were no immediate comments from the Israeli military regarding the latest one-night strike. Israeli media reported that new air attacks target senior political and military Hamas officials, identifying several killings.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadab Shoshani, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), said Israel attacked “dozens of terrorist targets and terrorists in Gaza, including Hamas commanders, weaken the capabilities of the military and government, and remove the threat to Israel.”
Israel has also issued new warnings to the Palestinians to avoid confinement in any battles to evacuate the regions of Gaza north and east, and has re-occupied the main Netzarim Corridor, a strategic land at the heart of the territory.
As part of the ceasefire agreement after more than a year of indirect negotiations, Israel withdrew from the corridor, where it destroyed almost all existing buildings, widened the roads and built a series of strengths.
While Israeli forces appear to be dependent on the Air Force for now, new Israeli evacuation orders suggest that ground attacks are planned over the next few days or weeks.
A strike at Abasan al-Kabila's family home just outside Khan Yunis near the Israeli border killed at least 16 people, mostly women and children, according to a nearby European hospital. The murdered people included the parents and siblings of a month-old baby who survived with his father and his seven children, as well as grandparents.
The house was located within an area covered by a recent evacuation order.
“One more harsh night,” said Hani Awad, who helped to find more survivors in the tile rub. “The house fell on people's heads.”
The European hospital in southern Rafa said it received 26 bodies after an overnight strike, mostly women and children. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has received the bodies of seven people killed in an attack on the home. In northern Gaza, Indonesian hospitals say they have received the bodies of seven people killed in a strike at the home of Beit Rahiya, a town near the border.
Israel and Hamas were held accountable for each other because of the collapse of the ceasefire. This has been mostly in effect since it came into effect in mid-January, providing some rest to Gaza's 2.3 million residents.
Hamas, which holds 59 of the roughly 250 hostages that sparked the conflict in the attack on Israel in October 2023, says he wants to close the ceasefire deal in both phases after more than a year of indirect speeches mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. It is believed that more than half of the hostages are dead.
The group said Thursday that discussions with mediators are continuing to halt the Israeli attacks, and that Israel has been called again to comply with the previous agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials said the decision has come to renew the attack in Gaza after Hamas rejected a proposal to extend the first phase of the third phase ceasefire for 30-60 days. They consulted the Trump administration before the strike proceeded.
Hamas does not appear to have reacted militarily to the new Israeli attack, but it rang out in most parts of Israel at 4am Thursday as sirens warn them. Incoming missiles It was launched by Yemen-based Houthi Militia. The missile was intercepted by Israeli air defense systems.
Hamas' surprise attacks in 2023 killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel's retaliatory attacks killed nearly 49,000 Palestinians. This is also mainly civilians.
Israeli critics accused Netanyahu of resuming his attacks to strengthen his coalition government before a key budget vote in Congress, garnering support for the war in the face of public support to return hostages, and resigning the public outrage spreading at his attempt to fire Singh Bett, the head of the internal security agency.
Tens of thousands of people protested against the new attack and Netanyahu government on Wednesday, highlighting Israel's deep divisions. More demonstrations are planned for Thursday.
Reuters and
