AFP :
The health ministry in the Gaza Strip said 109 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory today after a truce between Israel and Hamas expired and fighting resumed.
Spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement that the military had also tallied “hundreds of wounded in the Israeli aggression”.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said that it had hit “over 200 terror targets” after the end of a truce.
“Over the last few hours, ground, air and naval forces struck terror targets in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, including in Khan Yunis and Rafah,” it said in a statement.
Amid this intense bombardment, the United States said it will continue to press for extending the truce in Gaza.
“We continue to work with Israel, Egypt, and Qatar on efforts to extend the humanitarian pause in Gaza,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.
Under the truce which lasted a week, Hamas militants released 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. More humanitarian aid was also delivered into war-devastated Gaza.
But the prospects of reestablishing a truce were being stymied because “Hamas has so far failed to produce a list of hostages that would enable a further extension of the pause,” the NSC spokesperson said.
President Joe Biden and his national security team “will continue to remain deeply engaged as we look to free the remaining hostages,” the NSC spokesperson said.
On Thursday Washington’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, also called for a truce extension while meeting Israeli and Palestinian officials during a visit to the region.
The fighting began on October 7 when Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack inside Israel killing about 1,200 people.
In response, Israel unleashed an air and ground military campaign in Gaza that the Hamas authorities who run Gaza say has killed almost 15,000 people, mostly civilians.