More than 180 people have been killed and hundreds of others wounded as Israeli forces resumed their bombardment of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian officials, after a week-long truce expired.
Eastern areas of Khan Younis in southern Gaza came under intense bombardment as the deadline lapsed shortly after dawn on Friday, with columns of smoke rising into the sky, the Reuters news agency reported. Residents took to the road with belongings heaped in carts, searching for shelter further west.
Sirens blared across southern Israel as militants fired rockets from the coastal enclave into towns. Hamas said it had targeted Tel Aviv, but there were no reports of casualties or damage there.
Gaza health officials said Israeli air strikes had killed 184 people, wounded at least 589 others and hit more than 20 houses.
The Israeli military dropped leaflets over Gaza City and southern parts of the enclave on Friday, urging civilians to flee to avoid the fighting, but rights groups have repeatedly warned there are no safe places in Gaza.
“Civilians are being ordered to move south, but nowhere in Gaza is safe due to the indiscriminate bombing and continued fighting,” said the NGO Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) on X, calling on the Israeli army to rescind the order.
The UN said the fighting would worsen an extreme humanitarian emergency. “Hell on Earth has returned to Gaza,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva, said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) says Israeli forces informed “all organisations and entities” operating at the crossing that the entry of trucks is “prohibited, starting from today” and until further notice.
“This decision exacerbates the suffering of citizens and increases the challenges facing humanitarian and relief organisations in alleviating the hardships of citizens and displaced persons due to the ongoing aggression,” the PRCS said in a post on X.