Heavy Israeli bombardments hit Gaza, military to expand ground operations
CBC
Israel stepped up bombardments of the Gaza Strip Friday night hours after internet and communications were knocked out and largely cut off the Palestinian territory's 2.3 million people from contact with each other and the outside world.
Explosions from continuous airstrikes lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours after nightfall.
Already plunged into darkness after most electricity was cut off weeks ago, Palestinians were thrown into isolation, huddling in homes and shelters with food, water and fuel supplies running out.
Earlier Friday night, the Israeli military signalled it was moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza, vowing to crush Hamas, which rules Gaza, after it led a bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said its ground forces were "expanding their activity" in the besieged enclave.
"In addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening," Israeli army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Friday night. "The IDF is acting with great force … to achieve the objectives of the war."
Israel amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive against Hamas.
Shortly before the IDF announcement, Palestinian telecom provider Paltel said internet service in Gaza has been cut off by Israeli bombardment.
Services were cut Friday evening following a heavy round of Israeli airstrikes that lit up the night sky.
The Palestinian Red Crescent, the main emergency service in Gaza, said it was suspended from its operations room because of the internet blackout and landline and cellular communications had also been disconnected.
"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," read a statement from the Red Crescent.
The head of UNICEF said the agency had lost contact with its colleagues in Gaza.
The Netblocks internet observatory confirmed connectivity in the Gaza strip has broken down.
"Live network data show a collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip … amid reports of heavy bombardment," the observatory said.
