LIVE Day 22: Israel-Hamas war: Gaza death toll crosses 7,700 as Israel expands ground operation

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 Lebanon

Israel'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 Strip

Israel 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 truce” in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, the first United Nation’s response to the on-going war.

The 193-member world body adopted the Arab-drafted resolution by a vote of 120-14 with 45 abstentions after rejecting a Canadian amendment backed by the United States. It would have unequivocally condemned the October 7 “terrorist attacks” on Israel by Hamas and demanded the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas.

The Arab group went to the General Assembly after the more powerful 15-member Security Council failed to agree on a resolution after four attempts over the past two weeks. While council resolutions are legally binding, assembly resolutions are not, but they do serve as a barometer of world opinion.

Blackout hampering rescue and relief work

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the blackout in Gaza is making it impossible for ambulances to reach the injured. He added that the WHO is still out of touch with its staff and health facilities in the Palestinian enclave. Tedros added that under the current circumstances, it is not possible to evacuate the patients or to find safe shelters for them.

Aid groups said the communications blackout in the Gaza Strip has not only left them unable to contact their staff, but has also impeded their operations in the territory.

“It doesn't only mean that Gaza is isolated from the world but also it means people can't connect to each other. Our emergency line is down so people are literally not able to call an ambulance,” said Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent. “We are extremely worried because we are completely cut off from our teams.” The International Committee of the Red Cross also said it's currently unable to reach its staff in Gaza.

“We are deeply worried for their safety and the safety of all civilians where hostilities are taking place," the organisation said in a statement. “Without access to information in a communication blackout, people don't know where to go for safety.”

Protests in Indonesia and US seeking end to war

More than 3,000 protesters marched to the heavily guarded US Embassy in Indonesia's capital on Saturday to demand an end to the war and bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags, the protesters, many wearing white Islamic robes, filled a major thoroughfare in downtown Jakarta running outside the embassy. About 1,000 police were deployed around the compound, which is blocked off by concrete road barriers.

The protesters, organised by the Indonesian Ulema Council, known as MUI, chanted “God is Great” and “Freedom for Palestine” during the noisy but peaceful protest. Banners and placards proclaimed, “We stand with Gaza,” and slammed the Israeli government while denouncing the staunch U.S. support of Israel.

Similarly, hundreds of protesters in black T-shirts filled New York City's iconic Grand Central Terminal during the evening rush hour on Friday to demand a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Many of the protesters were detained by police and taken out of the station, their hands zip tied behind their backs. The NYPD could not immediately say how many were taken into custody.

“Hundreds of Jews and friends are taking over Grand Central Station in a historic sit-in calling for a ceasefire,” advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace said on social media.