The Israeli army confirmed that it had intensified its strikes on the north of the Gaza Strip “in a very significant manner” and then announced that it would “expand” its ground operations there. “We will continue to strike in Gaza City and its surroundings,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
Hamas accuses Israel of “preparing massacres”
These are the “largest strikes” against the Gaza Strip since the start of Hamas attacks on October 7, according to the Israeli public television channel Kan. This was confirmed by the press service of the Hamas government, which accuses Israel of “preparing massacres”.
Still according to the power in place in the Palestinian territory, communications and the internet have been cut in the Gaza Strip. A cut confirmed by the Palestinian telecoms company Jawwal. NetBlocks, the internet access monitoring service, reported a “collapse of connectivity in the Gaza Strip.” AFP journalists explained that they could only communicate in areas where they received the Israeli network.
Rockets launched by Hamas in “response to massacres against civilians”
In a statement, Hamas called on “Arab and Muslim countries and the international community to assume their responsibilities and act immediately to stop the crimes and massacres against our people.” The Palestinian Red Crescent announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it had “lost contact with its operational center of all (its) teams in the Gaza Strip”.
“The disruptions are affecting the central emergency number 101 and hampering the arrival of ambulances to the injured” amid the strikes, the Red Crescent added, saying it was “deeply concerned” about the ability of its doctors to continue providing care in these conditions, as well as for the safety of its staff. In response to the Israeli strikes, the military branch of Hamas announced on Telegram messaging the firing of “salvos of rockets towards the occupied territories in response to the massacres against civilians”.
Israeli media confirmed that rockets were fired towards Tel Aviv, central Israel and the northern West Bank, territory occupied by Israel. An AFP journalist heard loud explosions in the Ramallah area of the West Bank. Rocket warning sirens also sounded in the towns of Ashkelon and Sderot, in southern Israel, close to the Gaza Strip.
The bombings “by air, sea and land” are “the most violent since the start of the war” on October 7, said the press service of the Hamas government, accusing Israel of “preparing massacres”.