Ground war in Israel enters new phase
The Israeli military late Friday into Saturday "expanded" its ground operation in Gaza while also ramping up its bombardment of the Strip, targeting what the IDF said were Hamas tunnels and other infrastructure.
The latest: Gaza's more than 2.2 million people remained largely cut off from the outside world amid a communications blackout in the enclave.
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The big picture: Israel's decision to expand its ground operations came as it conducted massive and unprecedented air raids and artillery strikes on the northern Gaza Strip.
- Hamas fired a barrage of rockets toward Tel Aviv and other cities in central Israel. Most have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome.
- Two Israeli officials said the decision "to expand" ground operations in Gaza was made by the Israeli war cabinet on Thursday night local time after talks on a possible hostage release reached a stalemate.
Zoom out: The IDF's expansion of its operations comes nearly three weeks after Hamas killed 1,400 people in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, according to Israeli officials.
- More than 7,300 Palestinians have been killed amid Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, according to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza.
- Hamas is holding more than 220 people hostage, according to Israeli officials. Most are Israeli, but the group is also holding Americans and other foreign nationals.
- Gallant will meet on Sunday with families of hostages held by Hamas. In a statement, the families demanded answers from the Israeli government, saying they were deeply concerned about the implications of the ground operation for their loved ones.
State of play: Israeli officials have said the goal of a ground offensive is to "dismantle" Hamas infrastructure and completely "destroy" the militant group, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and other countries.
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Catch up quick: Prior to Israel's expansion of its ground operations, Israel ordered more than 1 million Palestinians in the northern part of the Strip to evacuate to the south. About 700,000 Palestinians heeded the order, according to the UN. Others remained in northern Gaza, saying there was nowhere to go.
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It should be easy to see the difference between Hamas and Israel with the warning to civilians to leave the combat zone as opposed to a sneak attack on Israeli civilians done by Hamas.
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Israel steps up air and ground attacks in Gaza and cuts off the territory's communications
Israel knocked out internet and communications in the Gaza Strip in stepped-up bombardment Friday night, largely cutting off its 2.3 million people from contact with each other and the outside world and creating a near-blackout of information, as the military said it was “expanding” ground operations in the territory.
The military’s announcement signaled it was moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza, where it has vowed to crush the ruling Hamas militant group after its bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago.
Explosions from continuous airstrikes lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours after nightfall. The Palestinian telecom provider, Paltel, said the bombardment caused “complete disruption” of internet, cellular and landline services. The cutoff meant that casualties from strikes and details of ground incursions could not immediately be known. Some satellite phones continued to function.
Already plunged into darkness after most electricity was cut off weeks ago, Palestinians were thrown into isolation, huddling in homes and shelters with food and water supplies running out.
Relatives outside Gaza panicked after their messaging chats with families inside suddenly went dead and calls stopped going through.
“I was so scared this was going to happen,” said Wafaa Abdul Rahman, director of a feminist organization based in the West Bank city of Ramallah. She said she hadn't heard for hours from family in central Gaza.
“We’ve been seeing these horrible things and massacres when it’s live on TV, so now what will happen when there’s a total blackout?” she said, referring to scenes of families that have been crushed in homes by airstrikes over the past weeks.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said ground forces were “expanding their activity” Friday evening in Gaza and “acting with great force ... to achieve the objectives of the war.” Israel says its strikes target Hamas fighters and infrastructure and that the militants operate from among civilians, putting them in danger.
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Hamas leadership is urgently calling for further resistance in the West Bank. Hamas Political Bureau leader Ismail Haniyeh called for louder condemnation of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.[17] Haniyeh claimed on October 7 that the Al Aqsa Flood Operation began in the Gaza Strip and will extend to the West Bank.[18] A cybersecurity monitoring group said it had observed the largest single internet disruption in the Gaza Strip since hostilities began, amounting to a “total or near total blackout of internet service.”[19] Hamas Political Bureau member Hussam Badran made an urgent appeal to people in the West Bank that “this is the time for weapons.”[20]
Hamas and PIJ claimed their militants died while confronting IDF forces in Jenin. Saraya al Quds mourned a prominent field commander in its Jenin Battalion who died “supporting Gaza” in Jenin.[21] Hamas mourned three militants who died in clashes in the West Bank in Jenin and Qalqiya.[22] Ismail Haniyeh noted that the martyrs of the al Qassem Brigades are the same as Saraya al Quds Brigades and LH throughout the country in a speech on October 26.[23]
Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli security forces across the West Bank at a higher rate on October 27, amid Israeli arrest raids. The IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police forces arrested 36 Palestinians, including 17 Hamas operatives, in the West Bank. Israel is dismantling Hamas and PIJ command structures in the West Bank.[24] The Palestinian Authority reported that four Palestinians died overnight during Israeli raids in the West Bank.[25]
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