Israeli strikes across Gaza hit homes and kill at least 40, according to hospitals

Israeli strikes overnight and into Thursday hit several homes and killed at least 40 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, according to three hospitals.

The strikes targeted houses in the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, as well as the northern town of Beit Lahiya, the hospitals reported.

Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire that had halted the war and facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages. Israel blamed the renewed fighting on Hamas, saying the militant group rejected an Israeli-backed proposal that differed from their prior agreement.

More than 400 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday alone, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. There have been no reports of Hamas firing rockets or carrying out other attacks.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the latest strikes. The military has stated that it targets only militants and attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, claiming the group is deeply embedded in residential areas.

The European Hospital in the southern city of Rafah reported that 26 people, mostly women and children, were killed in strikes on two family homes overnight. One of the strikes killed a father and his seven children, the hospital said.

The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received the bodies of seven people killed overnight in an attack on a home. In northern Gaza, the Indonesian Hospital reported that it had received the bodies of seven people killed in a strike on a home in Beit Lahiya, a town near the border.