Southern Gaza under bombardment after Israel-Hamas truce collapses

Israel has called on residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes and move to the south as it pressed its offensive against Hamas with renewed force after the collapse of a truce.

The Israeli military demanded the evacuation of areas in Khirbet Khuza'a, Abasan, Bani Suhaila, Ma’an, and Al-Qarara, and instructed residents to head to Rafah and Al-Mawasi humanitarian zones.

It comes as Israeli air strikes and artillery bombardments hit Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

The military said that in the last 24 hours combined attacks by its ground, air and naval forces had hit 400 militant targets and killed an unspecified number of Hamas fighters.

Hamas media said about 200 Palestinians had been killed since the end of the truce - adding to the more than 15,000 dead in Gaza since the start of the war, according to health authorities.

The warring sides blamed each other for the collapse of the seven-day truce, during which Hamas had released hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The UN said the fighting would worsen an extreme humanitarian emergency.

The conflict broke out on October 7 when Hamas militants crossed into southern Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 200 hostages were taken back in Gaza.