Israel’s war with Hamas erupted again, on Friday, hitting buildings in the Gaza Strip, minutes after a weeklong truce expired.
Palestinian Health authorities reported dozens of Palestinians killed. Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City and southern parts of the enclave, urging civilians to flee to avoid the fighting.
Hamas in Gaza also resumed firing rockets into Israel. Fighting broke out between Israel and Hezbollah operating along its northern border with Lebanon.
Resumption of the war threatens to compound the suffering in Gaza. Some two million people are crammed into the territory’s south.
Israel urged people to relocate, vowing to extend its ground assault.
Unable to go into north Gaza or neighbouring Egypt, Palestinians only escape is to move around within the 85-square-mile area (220 square kilometres).
Renewed hostilities also heighten concerns for about 140 hostages still held captive by Hamas and other freedom fighters.
Hamas has freed more than 100 hostages during the truce.
For families of remaining hostages, the truce’s collapse was a blow to the hopes of seeing their loved ones.
Israel said, on Friday, its troops found the bodies of four more hostages in Gaza. It claimed this brought the total known dead to seven.
Qatar, serving as a mediator along with Egypt, said negotiators were still trying for a deal to restore the cease-fire.
Israel and Hamas traded blame for ending the truce.
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A day earlier, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, urged Israeli officials to do more to protect Palestinian civilians as they seek to destroy Hamas.
Blinken met with Arab foreign ministers at the global climate talks in Dubai, on Friday.
It was not clear to what extent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would heed the appeals of the United States.
Netanyahu’s office said, on Friday that Israel “is committed to achieving the goals of the war.”
The goals include releasing the hostages and eliminating Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.
In response to the U.S. calls, the Israeli military released an online map dividing the Gaza Strip into hundreds of numbered, haphazardly drawn parcels.
It asked residents to learn the number of their location in case of an eventual evacuation.
The map did not designate safe areas to evacuate to. And it is not clear how easily Palestinians can access them. (AP News)
