Overnight Israeli airstrikes into Thursday left at least 40 Palestinians dead across Gaza, according to three hospitals, targeting residential areas in Khan Younis, Rafah, and Beit Lahiya. The renewed bombardment, which began Tuesday, has shattered a fragile ceasefire that had paused the 17-month conflict and secured the release of over two dozen hostages.

The European Hospital in Rafah reported 26 fatalities, predominantly women and children, from strikes on two family homes, including one that killed a father and his seven children. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received seven bodies from a similar overnight attack, while the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, near Gaza’s northern border, confirmed seven deaths from another strike. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported over 400 deaths on Tuesday alone, mostly women and children, with no reported retaliatory actions from Hamas.

Israel relaunched its offensive after Hamas rejected a revised Israeli proposal, diverging from a January ceasefire brokered by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. The military, which offered no immediate comment on Thursday’s strikes, insists it targets only militants, attributing civilian casualties to Hamas’s presence in populated areas. On Wednesday, Israeli ground forces advanced, capturing a corridor splitting Gaza’s north and south—their first incursion since the truce began. Israel has also blocked food, fuel, and aid to Gaza’s 2 million residents, vowing to escalate until Hamas releases its 59 remaining hostages—35 believed dead—and relinquishes control.

Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal, conditions outlined in the January deal, and refuses to disarm until the occupation ends. The war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages, has claimed nearly 49,000 Palestinian lives, per Gaza’s Health Ministry, with Israel reporting 20,000 militants killed. The conflict has displaced 90% of Gaza’s population, leaving vast destruction in its wake.