FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Israeli warplanes have bombed Hamas tunnels and underground bunkers in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said on October 28, signaling a further escalation of the campaign to crush the Palestinian militant group that attacked southern Israel three weeks ago.
The warplanes hit dozens of underground targets, the military said. As part of the intensified bombing, Israel has destroyed lines of communication and left the besieged Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, without communication with the outside world.
On Friday, the Israeli military said it was expanding ground operations in the territory, another sign that it is moving closer to a full occupation of Gaza. Military officials have said a key target will be Hamas' vast network of underground tunnels and bunkers. Most of this network is located under Gaza City, in the north of the territory.
Explosions from the ongoing airstrikes were heard for hours on Friday night.
The Palestinian company that provides telecommunications services, Paltel, said that the bombings caused a "complete disruption" of Internet, mobile and landline services. This breakdown in communication means that the details of ground attacks cannot be immediately known. Some satellite phones have continued to operate.
Palestinians have also been without electricity for weeks and have been forced to move from their homes as food and water supplies run out.
The families of the residents who are in Gaza are trying to contact their relatives, but on Saturday morning, the communication lines were out of order.
Wafaa Abdul Rahman, leader of a feminist organization based in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, said she has not heard from her family in central Gaza for hours.
"We have seen these terrible things and massacres when they were televised, but what will happen now when it is completely dark," she said, referring to her family who have been hiding in recent weeks because of the attacks.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Friday that ground forces are "expanding their activity" in Gaza and are "acting with great force to achieve the objectives of the war". Israel has said the airstrikes target Hamas militants and the group's infrastructure, and that the militants operate among civilians, putting them at risk.
Hamas's media center reported heavy overnight clashes with Israeli forces in several areas, including over what it described as an Israeli incursion into the Burei refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip. Asked about these reports, the Israeli army said on Saturday that they have carried out targeted raids and expanded airstrikes in order to "prepare the ground for future phases of the operation".
Israel has massed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border ahead of the expected ground offensive. Since mid-week, the Israeli military has reported raids inside Gaza, saying troops have targeted Hamas targets.
Since the outbreak of war on October 7, the number of victims in Gaza has exceeded 7,300. Over 60 percent of the victims, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, are minors and women.
Over 1,400 people were killed in Israel during Hamas attacks on October 7, while at least 229 were taken hostage by Hamas. Among the victims, at least 310 are soldiers, the Israeli army said.
Israel and Hamas had previously fought four wars. The total number of deaths in the latest conflict exceeds the number of victims of the previous four wars, when nearly 4,000 people were killed./REL
Lini një Përgjigje