At least 85 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in the air bombings Israel launched today across the Strip after it resumed its campaign of bombing and ground operations in the enclave, the enclave’s health ministry said.

A day after launching a new ground operation in central Gaza, the Israeli army announced today that it had launched ground operations in the northern part of the enclave, along the coastal route in the Bayt Lahiya area.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which had not retaliated in the first 48 hours of the new Israeli offensive, said its fighters fired rockets into Israeli territory. According to the Israeli military, sirens sounded in the center of the country after shells were fired from Gaza.

Palestinian health officials said Israeli shelling targeted several homes in areas in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. Asked for comment, the Israeli military said it was looking into the information.

The army resumed airstrikes on Gaza on Tuesday and launched ground operations yesterday (Wednesday), effectively abandoning a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that had been in place since January.

He said today that his forces have been engaged in the past 24 hours in what he called a targeted ground operation to expand a neutral zone separating north and south Gaza, known as the Netzarim corridor.

Israel ordered residents to stay off the main north-south Salahuddin road and opt for the coastal route.

Hamas said the Israeli ground operation and assault on the Netzarim corridor is a “new and dangerous violation” of the ceasefire agreement. It reaffirmed its commitment to the Truce Agreement and called on the mediators to “assume their responsibilities”. A temporary first phase of the ceasefire ended earlier this month. Hamas wants to move on to the agreed second phase, under which Israel would have to negotiate an end to the war and the withdrawal of its troops, and Israeli hostages held in Gaza would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel has offered only a temporary extension of the ceasefire, cut off all supplies to Gaza, and says it is restarting its military campaign to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages.