Long lines of fleeing civilians filled the roads of Gaza on Wednesday as Israel kept up its renewed bombardment of the territory for a second day despite a chorus of calls from foreign governments to preserve a fragile January ceasefire.
The ministry of health in Hamas-run Gaza has previously said more than 460 people have been killed in the strikes. on Wednesday, it published a much higher death toll for the last 48 hours, but an official later withdrew it, citing a "technical error."
Families with young children fled northern Gaza for areas further south, fearing for their lives after Israel urged civilians to leave areas it described as "combat zones."
A Hamas official said the group was open to talks on getting the ceasefire back on track but rejected Israeli demands to renegotiate the three-stage deal agreed with Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators.
"Hamas has not closed the door on negotiations but we insist there is no need for new agreements," Taher al-Nunu told AFP.
"We have no conditions, but we demand that the occupation be compelled to immediately halt its aggression and war of extermination, and begin the second phase of negotiations."
Negotiations have stalled over how to proceed with a ceasefire whose first phase expired in early March, with Israel and Hamas disagreeing on whether to move to a new phase intended to bring the war to an end.
Israel and the United States have sought to change the terms of the deal by extending stage one.
That would delay the start of phase two, which was meant to establish a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and was swiftly rejected by Hamas, which demanded full implementation of the original deal.
‘Only the beginning’
Israel and the United States have portrayed Hamas's rejection of an extended stage one as a refusal to release more Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu's office said he ordered the renewed strikes on Gaza after "Hamas's repeated refusal to release our hostages."
In a televised address late Tuesday, the premier said: "Hamas has already felt the strength of our arm in the past 24 hours. And I want to promise you – and them – this is only the beginning."
The White House said Israel consulted US President Donald Trump's administration before launching the strikes.
The intense Israeli bombardment sent a stream of new casualties to the few hospitals still functioning in Gaza and triggered fears of a return to full-blown war after two months of relative calm.
Two people, including a United Nations employee, were killed when a UN building in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, was hit, according to a UN source.
One of those killed was employed by the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the source told AFP.
According to a UN statement, "an explosive ordnance was dropped or fired at the infrastructure and detonated inside the building.
"We don't know at this stage what type it was (airdrop weapons, artillery, rocket)," the statement said.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory blamed Israel, while the Israeli military denied it had struck the UN compound in Deir el-Balah.
Thousands of Israelis massed in Jerusalem on Wednesday, accusing Netanyahu of resuming strikes on Gaza without regard for the safety of the remaining hostages.
