Israel has expanded its military operations in northern Gaza, including bombings that cut communications and internet connections, as military officials suggested the start of an anticipated ground offensive against Hamas militants.
We have moved to the next stage of the war, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a speech broadcast on Saturday. Last night the ground shook in Gaza. We attacked on the surface and underground,” he added.
“The instructions given to the forces are clear. The campaign will continue until further notice, Gallant said.
The Israeli military reiterated its call for residents to evacuate northern Gaza, with a warning: your window for action is closing, move south for your own safety.
Humanitarian groups and civil society organizations said they had lost contact with staff and families in the Gaza Strip due to the connection outages.
Last night the ground forces entered and continued expand ground force operations. Infantry, engineers and artillery are accompanied by heavy fire,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday. Senior Hamas officials, including the militant group’s air operations chief, were killed, it said.
During the night, IDF fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, the head of the Hamas air network. Abu Rakaba was responsible for drones, UAVs, paragliders, aerial detection and defense of Hamas,” the Israeli military said. said on social networks. Abu Rakaba participated in planning the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel and “was responsible for drone attacks against IDF posts, the IDF said.
Israel’s intensifying military actions have increased fears that a widely expected ground invasion of Gaza is approaching. Residents of the enclave have already suffered significant losses from airstrikes and targeted raids.
The head of the World Health Organization said on Saturday that “reports of intense bombardment in Gaza are extremely distressing,” adding that the evacuation of patients is not possible in such circumstances, nor is the search for safe shelter.
The power outage is also preventing ambulances from reaching the injured. We are still disconnected from our staff and healthcare facilities. I worry about their safety, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a report. He called on “all those with the power to push for a ceasefire to act NOW.”
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Friday on the Israel-Hamas crisis, calling for an immediate, lasting and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities. The Israeli government rejected the UN resolution, saying Israel will continue to defend itself. Israel will do what must be done to eradicate Hamas’ capabilities. » said Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN
EU leaders agreed on Thursday to call for pauses in responding to humanitarian needs to allow aid to arrive in Gaza, with European Council President Charles Michel hailing the strong unity between the governments of the block.
Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people. Israel responded with daily airstrikes on the blockaded Palestinian enclave, killing around 7,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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