Humanitarian support has collapsed in the enclave, which has been under total Israeli blockade for more than two months. Aid groups warn that the territory is on the brink of famine.

The air and artillery strikes were focused on the northern section of the tiny, crowded enclave, where dozens of people including women and children were killed overnight, said Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Deqran.

T he release on May 12th of Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli soldier held in Gaza for 19 months, ended the 21-year-old’s ordeal but left many questions unanswered. Was this a one-off gesture by Hamas,