After Israel left the negotiations in Qatar on a ceasefire with Hamas, the Israeli military (IDF) is now operating intargeting targets in southern Gaza, where many internally displaced persons have sought refuge.
The fighting is particularly intense in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, which usually has a population of around 180,000.
Since the temporary ceasefire, the Israeli military has attacked several hundred “terrorist targets” in Gaza.
– What we are doing now is striking military Hamas targets all over the Gaza Strip, said Jonathan Conricus, spokesman for the Israeli army (IDF), on Saturday.
The information is difficult to verify as few independent sources are available.
The fighting is particularly intense in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, which usually has a population of around 180,000. But many from northern Gaza have taken refuge in the area.
The IDF states that over 50 targets have been attacked. At the same time, the military has dropped leaflets in the area and urged residents to get out. According to the UN, few have followed the call.
– There is nowhere to go. They expelled us from the north, and now they are pressuring us to leave the south, says Emad Hajar, who a month ago fled with his family from the northern city of Beit Lahia to seek refuge in Khan Yunis.
The UN warns
The Hamas-run health authority in Gaza says 240 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire expired on Friday morning.
In its reports, the Islamist extremist group makes no distinction between civilians and those fighting.
The US and Foreign Minister Antony Blinken urge Israel to do everything to protect civilians.
The UN continues to warn of a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where 1.7 million of a population of about 2.3 million have been forced to become internally displaced.