At least 70 Palestinians were killed and dozens more were injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Thursday, March 20, according to a Gaza health official.
According to medics, Israeli airstrikes targeted several homes in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. When asked for a statement, the Israeli military said it was investigating the reports.
Israel resumed bombing and ground operations from Tuesday, March 18, after it broke a ceasefire with the militant group Hamas that had lasted since January.
Israel said its operation was part of expanding the buffer zone separating north and south of Gaza, known as the Netzarim Corridor.
On the first day of the return of airstrikes on Tuesday, more than 400 Palestinians were killed, one of the bloodiest days of the war. In the past three days, at least 510 Palestinians have died, of whom more than half are women and children, according to Khalil Al-Deqran, spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry.
The dead included several senior Hamas officials, such as the head of the Gaza government, security chief, his aide, and second-in-command of the Hamas-run justice ministry.
According to Hamas, the Israeli military operation and incursion into the Netzarim Corridor is a "new and dangerous violation" of the ceasefire. It urged the mediators to do their duty to preserve the agreement.
Meanwhile, Israel said it would not continue the ceasefire, cut off all supplies to Gaza, and resumed the offensive to force Hamas to release the remaining prisoners in Gaza.
