Israel launched an expanded ground operation on Saturday after knocking out communications and creating a near-blackout of information in the Gaza Strip with increased bombardment and artillery fire overnight. Israel’s defence minister said that “the ground shook in Gaza” and that the war against the Palestinian territory’s Hamas rulers had entered a new stage. Gaza residents described the massive overnight bombardment from the sea and the air as the most intense of the 3-week-old Israel-Hamas war. The Palestinian death toll has mounted rapidly in the last 24 hours and has crossed 7,700 since the war started, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids. Israeli strikes have killed so many people so quickly that they've overwhelmed hospitals and morgues, making the normal rituals of death all but impossible. Of the dead, nearly 300 have not been identified. Fear and panic were spreading as Israel expanded its ground incursion and intensified bombardment. “We have hundreds of people being killed every day,” said Inas Hamdan, a Gaza-based communications officer for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency. “The whole system in Gaza is overwhelmed. People are dealing with the dead however they can.” Overcrowded cemeteries have compelled families to dig up long-buried bodies and deepen the holes. Gravediggers have laid dozens of unidentified bodies side by side in two large backhoe-dug furrows in Gaza City now holding 63 and 46 bodies, respectively, said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the general director of Shifa Hospital. Israel strikes Hezbollah sites in LebanonIsrael's military says it is striking Hezbollah military infrastructure in Lebanon. It said the strikes were ordered Saturday after “several anti-tank missile and mortar shell launches were identified from Lebanese territory toward Israel," including Israeli military posts along the Israel-Lebanon border.There has been concern that the Israel-Hamas war could expand into Lebanon and northern Israel if Hezbollah decides to join the conflict. Communication blackout in Gaza StripIsrael knocked out communications and created a near-blackout of information by striking targets in the Gaza Strip with stepped-up bombardment and artillery fire overnight and into Saturday. Explosions from continuous air strikes lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours after nightfall Friday as the Israeli military said it was expanding ground operations in the territory, signalling a move closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza meant to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its bloody rampage in southern Israel on October 7. The Palestinian telecom provider, Paltel, said the bombardment caused “complete disruption” of internet, cellular and landline services as the besieged enclave's 2.3 million people were largely cut off from contact with the outside world. Some satellite phones continued to function. This action created a virtual information blackout, as the military announced its plans to “expand” ground operations in the region. The cut-off resulted in an inability to ascertain casualties from strikes and gather information on ground incursions. The military’s announcement signalled it was moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza.The Israel Defence Forces said its fighter jets attacked around 150 underground sites in the northern Gaza Strip which belong to the Hamas group. It added that several Hamas terrorists were killed in the overnight attack. Combat tunnels, underground combat spaces and other underground terrorist infrastructures were destroyed, it added.The Palestinian death toll passed 7,300. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which tracks the toll, released a detailed list including names and ID numbers on Thursday. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids since the war's start three weeks ago.Hamas head of aerial forces killed Meanwhile, the head of Hamas' aerial unit, Issam Abu Rukbeh, was killed in an overnight airstrike, as confirmed by the Israel Defence Forces and Shin Bet security services. Abu Rukbeh was responsible for overseeing Hamas' drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, paragliders, aerial detection systems, and air defences. He played a significant role in planning and executing the October 7 attack by directing terrorists who used paragliders to enter southern Israel and coordinating drone attacks on Israel Defence Forces observation posts.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. In addition, 229 people — including foreigners, children and older adults — were taken hostage by Hamas during the incursion and remain in captivity in Gaza. Four hostages were released earlier.UN General Assembly calls for ‘humanitarian truce’The UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution on Friday calling for a “humanitarian...
Israel launched an expanded ground operation on Saturday after knocking out communications and creating a near-blackout of information in the Gaza Strip with increased bombardment and artillery fire overnight. Israel’s defence minister said that “the ground shook in Gaza” and that the war against the Palestinian territory’s Hamas rulers had entered a new stage. Gaza residents described the massive overnight bombardment from the sea and the air as the most intense of the 3-week-old Israel-Hamas war. The Palestinian death toll has mounted rapidly in the last 24 hours and has crossed 7,700 since the war started, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids. Israeli strikes have killed so many people so quickly that they've overwhelmed hospitals and morgues, making the normal rituals of death all but impossible. Of the dead, nearly 300 have not been identified. Fear and panic were spreading as Israel expanded its ground incursion and intensified bombardment. “We have hundreds of people being killed every day,” said Inas Hamdan, a Gaza-based communications officer for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency. “The whole system in Gaza is overwhelmed. People are dealing with the dead however they can.” Overcrowded cemeteries have compelled families to dig up long-buried bodies and deepen the holes. Gravediggers have laid dozens of unidentified bodies side by side in two large backhoe-dug furrows in Gaza City now holding 63 and 46 bodies, respectively, said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the general director of Shifa Hospital. Israel strikes Hezbollah sites in LebanonIsrael's military says it is striking Hezbollah military infrastructure in Lebanon. It said the strikes were ordered Saturday after “several anti-tank missile and mortar shell launches were identified from Lebanese territory toward Israel," including Israeli military posts along the Israel-Lebanon border.There has been concern that the Israel-Hamas war could expand into Lebanon and northern Israel if Hezbollah decides to join the conflict. Communication blackout in Gaza StripIsrael knocked out communications and created a near-blackout of information by striking targets in the Gaza Strip with stepped-up bombardment and artillery fire overnight and into Saturday. Explosions from continuous air strikes lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours after nightfall Friday as the Israeli military said it was expanding ground operations in the territory, signalling a move closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza meant to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its bloody rampage in southern Israel on October 7. The Palestinian telecom provider, Paltel, said the bombardment caused “complete disruption” of internet, cellular and landline services as the besieged enclave's 2.3 million people were largely cut off from contact with the outside world. Some satellite phones continued to function. This action created a virtual information blackout, as the military announced its plans to “expand” ground operations in the region. The cut-off resulted in an inability to ascertain casualties from strikes and gather information on ground incursions. The military’s announcement signalled it was moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza.The Israel Defence Forces said its fighter jets attacked around 150 underground sites in the northern Gaza Strip which belong to the Hamas group. It added that several Hamas terrorists were killed in the overnight attack. Combat tunnels, underground combat spaces and other underground terrorist infrastructures were destroyed, it added.The Palestinian death toll passed 7,300. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which tracks the toll, released a detailed list including names and ID numbers on Thursday. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids since the war's start three weeks ago.Hamas head of aerial forces killed Meanwhile, the head of Hamas' aerial unit, Issam Abu Rukbeh, was killed in an overnight airstrike, as confirmed by the Israel Defence Forces and Shin Bet security services. Abu Rukbeh was responsible for overseeing Hamas' drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, paragliders, aerial detection systems, and air defences. He played a significant role in planning and executing the October 7 attack by directing terrorists who used paragliders to enter southern Israel and coordinating drone attacks on Israel Defence Forces observation posts.More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. In addition, 229 people — including foreigners, children and older adults — were taken hostage by Hamas during the incursion and remain in captivity in Gaza. Four hostages were released earlier.UN General Assembly calls for ‘humanitarian truce’The UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution on Friday calling for a “humanitarian...