Brit confirmed injured in Israeli airstrike on UN compound in Gaza as IDF ground forces sweep in for fresh Hamas clashes

A BRITISH national has been confirmed injured in the Israeli airstrike on a UN compound in Gaza, the British Foreign Secretary has confirmed.

It comes as the IDF launched a new ground operation in Gaza after reports emerged revealing Hamas allegedly used the ceasefire to plan a new attack on Israel.

Large fire burning behind palm trees.
7
Israel launched fresh airstrikes against Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday
Tank driving through dusty field.
7
Tanks were seen rolling inside the southern part of the strip
David Lammy, UK Foreign Secretary, at a UK-EU foreign policy meeting.
7
Foreign Secretary David Lammy ahead of UK-EU foreign policy meeting at Carlton Gardens in LondonCredit: PA

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered Tuesday's airstrikes - the heaviest since the ceasefire began in January - because of a lack of progress in talks with the terror group.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that a Brit had been injured, adding that the recent attacks on Gaza had been an "appalling loss of life".

He told MPs: "Yesterday morning a UN compound in Gaza was hit, I can confirm to the House that a British national was amongst the wounded.

"Our priority is supporting them and their family at this time."

Mr Lammy added that the attacks on Gaza on Tuesday night had caused the largest Palestinian death toll on a single day since the war began.

He said: "A number of Hamas figures were reportedly killed, but it's been reported that over 400 Palestinians were killed in missile strikes and artillery barrages.

"The majority of them were women and children.

"This appears to have been the deadliest single day for Palestinians since the war began.

"This is an appalling loss of life, and we mourn the loss of every civilian."

At least 70 Palestinian people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, a Gaza health official said.

Rubble and debris from a destroyed building.
7
A general view of the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Khan YounisCredit: Reuters
Women being assisted near an ambulance.
7
Injured Palestinians arrive at the Al Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, after the strikesCredit: Getty
A man carries a young girl on his shoulders as a group of people walk along a dusty road carrying belongings.
7
Palestinians make their way to flee their homes, after the Israeli army issued evacuation ordersCredit: Reuters

Troops and tanks were seen rolling inside the war-torn Gaza yesterday to pursue what the Israeli military officials called a "pinpoint" ground operation.

And today, the Israeli military begun conducting ground operations in the north of the enclave, along the coastal route in the area of Beit Lahia.

It added that its forces had been engaged for the past 24 hours in what it described as a targeted ground operation to expand a buffer zone separating the northern and southern halves of Gaza, known as the Netzarim corridor.

It comes after Hamas used the ceasefire as a cover to plan a new October 7-style invasion before Israel's massive wave of strikes, reports claim.

The Israeli security cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss a number of alerts that point to preparations for invasion from the terror group.

Netanyahu's defence minister said Israel had resumed fighting in the Strip while vowing to press ahead until all remaining Israeli hostages were released from Hamas' grasp.

Israel's new blitz

By Rachael Bunyan and Sayan Bose

ISRAEL has said it will keep pounding Gaza with air strikes until Hamas agrees to release more hostages "without playing games".

Netanyahu's defence minister said Israel had resumed fighting in the Strip while vowing to press ahead until all remaining Israeli hostages were released from Hamas' grasp.

One Israeli official told CNN that  Israel plans to gradually ramp up operations and the renewed offensive in Gaza will only stop if Hamas agrees to release more hostages.

Another official told the Times of Israel that the military now has a concrete plan “to move forward” their military campaign in the strip.

They added: "If at any point the other side decides to go back to genuinely negotiating, and we go back to genuine talks, then we’ll stop [the offensive].

"At the moment, we’re left without any choice. Without small releases of hostage and without games, the goal is to get everyone out."

Israel's bombardment - dubbed "Strength and Sword" by the IDF - threatened to wreck the ceasefire in place since January and fully reignite the 17-month-old war.

Defence Minister Israel Katz warned: "If Hamas does not release all the kidnapped, the gates of hell will open in Gaza and Hamas' murderers and rapists will meet the IDF with forces they have never known before.

"We will not stop fighting until all the kidnapped return home and all the war's goals are achieved."

The terrorists still have around 59 of the 251 hostages they first kidnapped with brute force during the horrors of October 7.

Israel's military said it had struck Hamas targets across Gaza - ending a weeks-long standoff over extending the ceasefire.

Soldiers patrolling a desert area.
7
Troops seen moving inside Gaza for a new military operation