Reuters reported that the military operation took place just one day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes, marking one of the bloodiest attacks since the conflict began in October 2023. The ceasefire reached in January has been broken.
The Israeli military has announced that it has expanded control over the Netzarim Corridor, a strategic section of the Gaza Strip, to create a buffer zone between the north and the south. Meanwhile, the armed group Hamas called it a "serious violation" of a two-month ceasefire and called on intermediaries to intervene.
The United Nations said an airstrike killed a foreign employee and injured five others at a facility of the group in central Gaza City. The Gaza Ministry of Health accused Israel of carrying out the attack, but Israel denied it and said it only targeted a Hamas location that was preparing to fire into Israeli territory.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and called for an investigation, stressing that at least 280 staff of the organization had been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Amid the escalating fighting, the Israeli air force attacked a house in the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, killing four people and injuring 10 others. In Beit Lahiya, another airstrike on a funeral area killed 24 people, according to local health workers.
Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. The 17-month conflict has displaced 2.3 million Gazans several times and destroyed much of the region's infrastructure. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the Israeli military campaign had killed more than 49,000 people and created a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, fuel and clean water. Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians as shields, while Hamas has denied and accused Israel of conducting bombings regardless of the target.
The current war is considered the most brutal period in decades of the Israel-Plestine conflict. The conflict broke out after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and detaining 250 hostages, according to Israeli data.
The resumption of Israeli government airstrikes has led to a wave of protests in the country, especially from the families of 59 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom 24 are believed to be alive. Many have criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of taking advantage of the war for political purposes.
Hamas said the closure of Salahuddin, a vital traffic route connecting northern and southern Gaza, was a "dangerous step" and tightened the blockade of the area. The Hamas spokesperson affirmed that the group would welcome any proposal as long as the negotiations led to a complete end to the war.
