Southern Gaza under bombardment after Israel-Hamas truce collapses

AFP

Israel has called on residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes and move to the south as it pressed its offensive against Hamas with renewed force after the collapse of a truce.

The Israeli military demanded the evacuation of areas in Khirbet Khuza'a, Abasan, Bani Suhaila, Ma’an, and Al-Qarara, and instructed residents to head to Rafah and Al-Mawasi humanitarian zones.

It comes as Israeli air strikes and artillery bombardments hit Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

The military said that in the last 24 hours combined attacks by its ground, air and naval forces had hit 400 militant targets and killed an unspecified number of Hamas fighters.

Hamas media said about 200 Palestinians had been killed since the end of the truce - adding to the more than 15,000 dead in Gaza since the start of the war, according to health authorities.

The warring sides blamed each other for the collapse of the seven-day truce, during which Hamas had released hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The UN said the fighting would worsen an extreme humanitarian emergency.

The conflict broke out on October 7 when Hamas militants crossed into southern Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 200 hostages were taken back in Gaza.

More from International News

  • Israel begins ground operations in southwest Lebanon

    Israel's military said it had begun ground operations in southwest Lebanon, expanding its incursions to a new zone, a year after exchanges of fire began with armed group Hezbollah and after pleas by the U.N. for a diplomatic solution.

  • India PM Modi's party leads in Haryana election

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moved into the lead in elections in the northern state of Haryana on Tuesday, reversing early trends when it was trailing the main opposition Congress party, TV channels reported.

  • Russia maintains emergency hotline with West

    Russia said it still had an emergency hotline with the US and the NATO military alliance to deflate crises, as nuclear risks rose to its greatest level since the depths of the Cold War.

  • China to provide emergency medical supplies to Lebanon

    China will provide emergency medical supplies to Lebanon, China's official foreign aid agency, the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said on Tuesday, as Israel-Hezbollah fighting intensified.

Coming Up