Israeli airplanes on Friday resumed their bombardment of Gaza.
Palestinian civilians fled for safety, and rocket sirens blared in southern Israel, as war resumed after a week-long truce expired with no agreement to extend it.
The Israeli military declared that it had “resumed combat operations”, accusing Hamas of breaking the cease-fire first by firing rockets.
It said that its planes were hitting “terrorist targets” in the enclave.
Hamas blamed Israel for the truce’s breakdown, accusing it of turning down any offers to free further captives held by militants in the enclave.
As the deadline passed, journalists in Khan Younis in southern Gaza witnessed the intense bombardment of eastern neighbourhoods, sending columns of smoke into the sky.
Residents took to the streets further west in search of safety.
Huge plumes of smoke erupted above the ruins in the north of the enclave, the major battle zone before the truce, as seen from across the fence in Israel.
The rattle of gunfire and the thud of explosives could be heard above the barking of dogs.
Only two hours after the cease-fire expired, Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry stated that 32 persons died in Israeli strikes.
