'Very significant': Ominous Israel warning

Author: Editors Desk Source: News Corp Australia Network:

October 27, 2023 at 14:11

In a late night TV address, the Israeli military said it was “expanding operations” in Gaza as the internet in the territory was cut.

Israel has said it is “expanding operations” on Gaza and has warned remaining residents of Gaza City to move south.

Extensive and intense bombing of the northern area of Gaza has been seen on Friday night, local time, while internet services have been cut.

At an evening press conference, the Israeli military said it was increasing its strikes in Gaza “in a very significant way”.

A smoke plume ascending following Israeli bombardment over the northern Gaza Strip amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

It comes as a ground invasion of by Israel could be imminent after two days of overnight incursions by tanks into the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.

But around 200 hostages remain in the Palestinian territory with just four freed. While multiple nations have pleaded for at least “humanitarian pauses” so the millions of Palestinians in Gaza can get access to food, water and international aid.

Israel declared war after 1400 people were killed on October 7 by Hamas in a bloody cross border raid. Subsequent air strikes by Israel on Gaza are now said to have killed as many as 7000 Palestinians, although the numbers have been disputed.

“We will continue to strike in Gaza City and around,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address on Friday.

The Hamas government said Israel “cut communications and most of the internet” across the Gaza Strip at the same time.

An Israeli army M109 155mm self-propelled howitzer is deployed at a position along the border with the Gaza Strip near Sderot in southern Israel on October 27, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (Photo by Jack Guez / AFP)

The government’s media office accused Israel of taking the measure “to perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea,” as heavy strikes hit northern Gaza.

AFP journalists in Gaza confirmed they were only able to communicate in limited areas where they could connect to Israeli networks across the border.

Palestinian telecoms provider Jawwal announced “the total cut of all communication services and internet” in the territory.

“The heavy bombardment in the last hour destroyed all remaining international routes connecting Gaza to the outside world,” Jawwal wrote on its Facebook page.

Global internet monitor NetBlocks reported “a collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip with high impact to Paltel,” Jawwal’s owner, citing live network data.

“The company is the last remaining major operator to supply service as connectivity declines amid ongoing fighting with Israel,” NetBlocks wrote on X, formerly Twitter.