Israel expands offensive in Gaza

GAZA CITY - Israel expanded its offensive against Hamas militants in besieged Gaza on Monday, as international concern deepened over the mounting civilian death toll in a war sparked by the October 7 attacks.

The return to open warfare after a truce between Israel and Hamas expired has had ripple effects around a region on the cusp of a wider conflagration.

Since the expiry of the truce on Friday, fighting in Gaza has resumed between Hamas and advancing Israeli troops, as have launches of militant rockets toward Israel and Israeli air strikes on the Palestinian territory.

Over the weekend, Israeli air strikes on northern Gaza threw thick clouds of smoke and dust into the sky.

On Sunday, the Israeli army reported a string of rocket salvos from Gaza into Israel, adding that most had been intercepted.

The Hamas-run government in Gaza and the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said a strike had hit the entrance of the Kamal Adwan hospital in the north of the territory late Sunday.

Several people were killed in the strike, the news agency said, while Hamas accused Israel on Telegram of a "grave violation" of humanitarian law.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not immediately comment on the alleged strike.