▲ On the 19th (local time), residents inspect damaged homes after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip.
Following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and resulting difficulties in talks to extend it, Israel has resumed large-scale airstrikes in Gaza, with the death toll rising rapidly.
On the 19th (local time), Israel also resumed ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
According to AFP and other foreign media, the Gaza Civil Defense reported that at least 470 people have died since Israel resumed large-scale airstrikes from the night of the 17th to the 18th.
The Israeli military targeted a Hamas military base in northern Gaza, as well as a vessel affiliated with Hamas-related armed organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on the Gaza coast overnight.
On the 19th, the airstrikes continued to target Hamas vehicles and outposts in southern Gaza.
Israeli media reported that shelling and helicopter attacks were witnessed throughout Gaza, including Gaza City, Al-Bureij, and Khan Younis, in the early hours of the 19th.
With continued Israeli attacks, an entire family of 14 was killed in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.
There were also casualties among UN staff engaged in relief activities.
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) reported that one Bulgarian national employee died and five were injured while conducting relief operations in a building in the central Deir al-Balah area of the Gaza Strip.
UNOPS criticized the attacks on humanitarian facilities as a violation of international law, stating that the casualties resulted from explosions.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed condolences on X (formerly Twitter) for the death of a Bulgarian UN worker in Gaza today, stating they are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
They added, “Initial investigations have found no connection to the activities of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).”
Israel has resumed military operations targeting Hamas on the ground and issued a “final warning” to the residents of Gaza.
The Israeli military stated, “We have started ground activities to expand the security zone and create a partial buffer zone between northern and southern Gaza.”
Accordingly, the Israeli military explained that it has begun to control the southern and central areas of the Gaza Strip, including the corridor dividing it into north and south known as the “Netzarim corridor.”
They issued a “final warning” to the residents of Gaza, demanding the release of Israeli hostages and the expulsion of Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, in a televised address targeted at Gaza residents, said, “This is the final warning,” and suggested that returning hostages and removing Hamas could open up other options, in line with advice from the U.S. President.
Hamas, however, condemned the reentry of the Israeli military into the Netzarim corridor as “another violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Hamas asserted that the door for negotiations remains open and urged Israel to return to the ceasefire.
(Photo = AP, Yonhap News)