The Israeli military warned residents against using the main highway to enter or leave the north and said only passage to the south would be allowed on the coastal road.
At least 85 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday by Israeli strikes, local health officials said. The strikes hit multiple homes in the middle of the night, killing men, women and children as they slept.
The Israeli military said it struck militant targets. Later that day, it said that “projectiles” fired from Gaza set off air raids sirens in central Israel. It appeared to be the first rocket attack out of Gaza since Israel ended the ceasefire with a surprise bombardment of the territory early Tuesday.
The Israeli military also restored a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City, that it had maintained for most of the war. It warned residents against using the main highway to enter or leave the north and said only passage to the south would be allowed on the coastal road.
It also announced an additional ground operation in northern Gaza near the already largely destroyed town of Beit Lahiya, where strikes have killed dozens over the past 24 hours. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to what remains of their homes in the north after a ceasefire took hold in January.
Israeli blamed renewed fighting on Hamas
Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages. Israel blamed the renewed fighting on Hamas because the militant group rejected a new proposal that departed from their signed agreement.
The Trump administration, which took credit for helping to broker the ceasefire, has voiced full support for Israel. More than 400 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday alone, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels early Thursday before it reached Israeli airspace, as air raid sirens and exploding interceptors were heard in Jerusalem. It was the second such attack since the United States began a new campaign of airstrikes against the rebels earlier this week.
(With PTI inputs)
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