Hamas has announced the launch of three rockets targeting Tel Aviv, marking the first instance of the group retaliating since Israel renewed its military operations in Gaza.
Israel reported that it successfully intercepted one of the rockets, while the remaining projectiles landed in unpopulated areas.
According to the Gaza health ministry, which is operated by Hamas, at least 591 individuals, including over 200 children, have lost their lives since Israel resumed hostilities on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the initiation of a ground operation within the Palestinian territory.
There had been a pause in extensive military actions since January, when a ceasefire was established between Israel and Hamas.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced late Thursday that their soldiers had initiated "ground activity" in Rafah, located in the southern region of the territory near the Egyptian border.
In a statement, the IDF reported that troops had "dismantled... terrorist infrastructure" and indicated that their ground operations were also ongoing in northern and central Gaza.
Previously, the Israeli military had stated that it commenced "targeted ground activities" aimed at establishing what it referred to as a "partial buffer between the north and south" of Gaza, characterizing the operation as a "limited ground operation."
IDF spokesperson Colonel Avichay Adraee mentioned that forces had been deployed to the center of a corridor known as the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer attributed the resurgence of violence to Hamas, asserting that the group had "forced this escalation" by rejecting all hostage agreements, including those facilitated by the United States and other parties.
Israel resumed its military actions on Tuesday after negotiations to extend the ceasefire agreement stalled, warning that operations would escalate until Hamas released the remaining hostages.
According to Israel, Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, with 24 of them believed to be alive.
Meanwhile, five staff members of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa were among those killed over the "past few days", the agency's chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.
"They were teachers, doctors and nurses," he added, warning that "the worst is yet to come" amid the ongoing ground invasion.
On Wednesday, the UN said that one of its workers had been killed after its compound in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza was damaged. While it said the circumstances remain unclear, UN Office for Project Services head Jorge Moreira said it was "not an accident" and "at least an incident".
Gaza's health ministry blamed an Israeli strike, which it said injured five others. Israel's military said it did not attack the compound but was investigating the incident.
The US - a major weapons supplier to Israel - said that it was committed to international law regarding the supply of weapons supplies.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said US President Donald Trump "fully supports Israel and the IDF in the actions that they've taken in recent days".
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed on Thursday that a UK national had been wounded in the compound attack. It comes after a charity said one of its workers, a 51-year-old British bomb disposal expert, had been injured.
"Our priority is supporting them and their families at this time," he told MPs.
At the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Qasim Abu Sharqiya said his two-year-old son, Omar, had been born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) after five years of trying.
"They bombed a tent next to us and he died," he told AFP. "Omar is my only son, oh world, and I have no one else."
A doctor there, Tanya Haj Hassan, told the BBC's Newshour that she had heard of at least 76 people who "didn't even make it into the ER" but were taken "straight to the mortuary".
She recalled "a level of horror and evil that is really hard to articulate - it felt like Armageddon".
Thousands of Israelis joined anti-Netanyahu protests in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, calling for the return of the hostages.
Several arrests were made, with police in Jerusalem deploying a water cannon against demonstrators.
In a separate development, Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile targeting Israel on Thursday, specifically aiming for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, according to a military spokesperson for the Iran-supported group.
No injuries were reported, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the missile was intercepted before it could enter Israeli territory.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the country had "resumed combat in full force," indicating that any future ceasefire discussions would occur "under fire."
A coalition representing the families of hostages has accused the Israeli government of opting to "abandon the hostages" by initiating new military strikes.
Israel and Hamas have been unable to reach an agreement on extending the ceasefire beyond its initial phase, which lapsed on March 1.
Hamas declined to renegotiate the ceasefire on Israel's terms, although it proposed the release of a living American hostage along with the bodies of four other hostages as mediators sought to extend the ceasefire.
At the beginning of March, Israel imposed a blockade on all food, fuel, and medical supplies entering Gaza to exert pressure on Hamas. The Israeli government accused Hamas of misappropriating these resources as part of its strategy against Israel, although it did not provide evidence to support this assertion.
The conflict was ignited by Hamas's assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities, predominantly among civilians, and the abduction of 251 individuals. During the initial phase of the ceasefire, 25 Israeli and five Thai hostages were released alive.
In retaliation for the October 7 attack, Israel launched a significant military offensive, which, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, has resulted in the deaths of over 48,500 Palestinians, primarily civilians, and extensive destruction of homes and infrastructure.
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