Israeli strikes across Gaza hit multiple homes

DEIR-AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas fired three rockets at Israel without causing casualties Thursday, in the first such attack since Israel broke their ceasefire.

Hours earlier, Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January.

Israeli bombardments in the past three days have killed at least 592 people, said Zaher al-Waheidi, the head of the records department at Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.

The Israeli military said it was again enforcing a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City. Palestinians were not being ordered to leave northern Gaza but can no longer enter, the military said, and are only allowed to move south on foot using the coastal road.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had returned to what remains of their homes in the north during the ceasefire.

Israeli ground forces are also pushing into Gaza near the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah, the military said Thursday. The operations come a day after Israel moved to split Gaza in two by retaking the strategic Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south.

The military ordered Palestinians to evacuate an area in central Gaza near the city of Khan Younis, saying it would operate there in response to Thursday’s rocket fire from Hamas. The Palestinian terrorist group said it targeted Tel Aviv. One rocket was intercepted and two fell in open areas, according to the army.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorists also launched two missiles at Israel, one early Thursday morning and another in the evening, the military said. Both were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, according to the army, and no injuries were reported.

Air raid sirens rang out and exploding interceptor rockets were heard in Jerusalem. There have been three such attacks since the United States began a new campaign of airstrikes against the Houthis earlier this week.

Israel’s military said Thursday its airstrikes in Gaza had killed the head of Hamas’ internal security apparatus and two other terrorist commanders. Israel has said it only targets terrorists and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas.

President Donald Trump’s administration reiterated its support for Israel, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying, “The president made it very clear to Hamas that if they did not release all of the hostages there would be all hell to pay.”

Israel has vowed to intensify its operations until Hamas releases the 59 hostages it holds — 24 of whom are believed alive — and gives up control of the territory.

Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as called for in the ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States under former President Joe Biden, Egypt and Qatar.

Hamas says it’s willing to hand over power to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority or a committee of political independents but will not lay down its arms until Israel ends its occupation of lands the Palestinians want for a future state.

The breakdown of the ceasefire has been met with anger in Israel, where many support the plight of the hostage families to free their loved ones.

Hundreds of Israelis gathered Thursday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem to protest his handling of the hostage crisis and his plan to fire the country’s head of internal security. Netanyahu’s Cabinet met late Thursday to vote on the firing.

Police used a water canon to disperse the crowd after protesters tried to break through police barricades.

The war began when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been freed in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. It does not say how many were combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 terrorists.