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- Live: IDF vows ‘we will bring our babies, women, elderly and men home’ from Gaza as UN suggests Hamas and Israel are BOTH guilty of war crimes
Israeli warplanes have tonight unleashed airstrikes of ‘unprecedented’ intensity across all parts of the Gaza strip, as it announced it was ‘expanding’ its ground forces’ operations.
The aerial onslaught came with a warning from the IDF to Palestinian civilians still living in Gaza to move south as soon as possible, amid fears that the long-awaited ground invasion of the enclave may take place within hours.
The bombing, which observers described as much more ferocious and louder than previous days, coincided with electricity and communications blackouts in much of the besieged enclave.
According to one report the Israelis even unleashed ‘bunker buster’ concussion missiles to try and destroy the extensive Hamas tunnel network under Gaza.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari telling reporters at a press conference today: ‘In recent hours we have increased the attacks in Gaza.
‘The air force widely attacks underground targets and terrorist infrastructure, very significantly.
‘In continuation of the offensive activity we carried out in the last few days, the ground forces are expanding the ground activity this evening.’

Israel has stepped up its bombing campaign against Gaza

Gaza has been bombed nonstop for nearly three straight weeks

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari (pictured) said a press conference today: ‘In recent hours we have increased the attacks in Gaza. The air force widely attacks underground targets and terrorist infrastructure, very significantly’
The IDF said tonight it was expanding its bombardment campaign against Gaza, and was ‘working powerfully in all dimensions’ to achieve its military goals.
Hamas returned fire with a ‘salvo’ of rockets, though it not known how many were caught by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system.
It was not clear whether this was a threat of a full invasion or a bigger but similar ‘probe’ to those launched on Wednesday and Thursday nights, with the troops returning by dawn.
Former General Wesley Clark, former NATO Allied Commander told CNN he believed the operation was a preparatory ‘softening up’ operation, rather than the full-scale invasion, adding that each probe yielded vital intelligence about how the Hamas defenders reacted.
Video footage of the ‘unprecedented’ bombing campaign saw Gaza’s night sky light up bright orange, as the explosion was heard from miles away.
The increased bombardment campaign saw fires being set across the city, billowing thick smoke into the night sky.
The Hamas government said the Israel bombardment campaign ‘cut communications and most of the internet’ across the Gaza Strip, and accused the IDF of taking the measure ‘to perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea.’

Hamas accused Israel of increasing its missile strikes to ‘perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea’

Gaza has tonight been bombed by Israeli airplanes, following an increased bombardment campaign by the IDF

The strikes have almost completely Gaza’s telecommunications infrastructure
Several Palestinian telecoms providers announced ‘the total cut of all communication services and internet’ in the territory, leaving the hundreds of thousands of civilians in a communications blackout.
Global internet monitor NetBlocks reported ‘a collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip,’ citing live network data.
NGOs working in Gaza have claimed the move may be deadly for the enclave’s citizens, with the Palestinian Red Crescent, the main emergency service in Gaza, saying it was cut off from its operations room in the strip because of the internet blackout.
It said in a statement tonight: ‘We are deeply concerned about the ability of our teams to continue providing their emergency medical services, especially since this disruption affects the central emergency number ‘101’ and hinders the arrival of ambulance vehicles to the wounded and injured.’

Hamas returned fire with a ‘salvo’ of rocket fire, though it is not known whether these were effective

The Hamas rockets have been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system
ActionAid, an NGO that works to alleviate poverty across the world, said it was gravely concerned that it has lost contact with its team in Gaza.
The charity said in a statement: ‘We are gravely concerned for their safety and that of all the people of Gaza as signs grow of a major land escalation following almost three weeks of bombardment.
‘We urgently call for the restoration of communication channels, as this is not only a matter of principle but also one of practical necessity.’
Oxfam said it was ‘deeply concerned’ with tonight’s developments in Gaza, ‘especially the total loss of communication’ in the Strip.
The NGO called for a ceasefire ‘to protect innocent lives.’

The Palestinian death toll passed 7,300 as Israel launched waves of airstrikes

NGOs have already said that Israel’s latest bombardment campaign may be deadly for Gazans

Several NGOs have said they cannot communicate with their Gazan colleagues

The IDF said tonight it was expanding its bombardment campaign against Gaza

Former General Wesley Clark, former NATO Allied Commander told CNN he believed the operation was a preparatory ‘softening up’ operation

Israel says it is expanding its ground operation tonight

Witnesses said the Israeli forces unleashed artillery and tank fire on Gaza as well as the ‘unprecedented’ airstrikes
Witnesses said the Israeli forces unleashed artillery and tank fire on Gaza as well as the ‘unprecedented’ airstrikes.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari highlighted the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City earlier today, claiming that it was being used as a Hamas command and control facility and added: ‘We continue with our efforts to identify and intercept terrorist cells all the time.’
Hamas denied they were using the hospital.
The new upsurge against Gaza in violence came as the foreign minister of neighbouring Jordan accused Israel of launching its long-anticipated ground war against Gaza, adding that the consequence of this will be a ‘humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.’
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urgently appealed for more aid deliveries to be allowed through to Gaza from Egypt.
‘The humanitarian system in Gaza is facing a total collapse with unimaginable consequences for more than 2 million civilians,’ Guterres said in a statement.

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

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack
The Palestinian death toll passed 7,300 as Israel launched waves of airstrikes in response to the bloody Hamas rampage in southern Israel on October 7.
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.
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 by Hamas during the incursion and remain in captivity in Gaza.So far, four hostages were released earlier.
So far, there has been little discussion of what will happen to the Gaza Strip once war between Hamas and Israel has finished.
But top Israeli political adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Regev, tonight warned that Gaza will look ‘very different’ after the end of the bloodiest conflict between Hamas and Israel in decades.
He told Fox News tonight: ‘We are beefing up the pressure on Hamas. We’re increasing the pressure that they’re under. Our military operations are underway.
‘They will continue to be on the receiving end of our military blows until we have dismantled their military machine and dissolve their political structure in Gaza. When this is over, Gaza will be very different.’
More to follow.