Israel drops leaflets urging residents to leave southern Gaza after truce ends

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has announced that it had "resumed combat operations" and its warplanes were striking Gaza.

After the seven-day truce between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas expired on Friday, the war between the two resumed with the Israeli fighter jets hitting the targets in the Gaza Strip.

This picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke rising from buildings after being hit by Israeli strikes, as battles resume between Israel and Hamas militants. (AFP)

The residents in Gaza also said that Israel dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza urging people to leave their homes, suggesting it was preparing to widen its offensive. The leaflets also warned that the town of Khan Younis was now a “dangerous battle zone.”

Several people fled northern Gaza after the war began, with many taking shelter in Khan Younis and other cities in the south.

Two hours after the truce expired, Gaza health officials claimed that at least 35 people have been been killed and several others have been injured in air strikes that hit at least eight homes in the territory.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has announced that it had "resumed combat operations" and its warplanes were striking Gaza. It also accused the terror group of violating the truce first by firing rockets and failing to free all the women it was holding hostage.

"With the resumption of fighting we emphasise: The Israeli government is committed to achieving the goals of the war - to free our hostages, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will never pose a threat to the residents of Israel," the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Qatar, the main mediator in the truce deal, urged rapid action to stop violence in the Gaza after renewed Israeli strikes in the territory.

The Qatari foreign ministry, in a statement, said it stresses that continued bombing at the end of the pause "complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip, and... calls on the international community to move quickly to stop the violence."

The seven-day peace deal, which began on November 24, was extended twice and expired today. The truce had allowed for the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and facilitated the entry of humanitarian aid into the shattered Gaza.

80 Israeli along 25 foreign hostages were freed in return for 240 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails during the truce.

On October 7, Hamas launched an unprovoked attack on Southern Israel with terrorists killing around 1,200 people and took 240 hostages. In a retaliatory move, Israel sworn to annihilate Hamas. Health authorities in Gaza say Israel's bombardment has so far killed more than 15,000 Gazans.

(With inputs from agencies)