Hamas said Friday it was "ready" for an invasion of Gaza as Israel said it was "extending" its ground operation after air strikes cut communications across the shattered Palestinian territory."Following the series of strikes of the last days, the ground forces are extending the ground operation tonight," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters after two straight nights of tank incursions into the Gaza Strip.A top Hamas official said it was "ready" for an Israeli ground invasion."If Netanyahu decides to enter Gaza tonight, the resistance is ready," said Ezzat al-Rishaq, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau, on Telegram social media."The remains of his soldiers will be swallowed up by the land of Gaza." Israel's military said it had increased its strikes "in a very significant way", as AFP live footage captured intense bombardment of northern Gaza.Air strike after air strike lit up the night sky as thick black smoke clouded the horizon.Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on its Telegram channel it responded with "salvos of rockets".Hamas said all Internet connections and communications across Gaza had been cut, and accused Israel of taking the measure "to perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea".The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said ambulance services had been disrupted."We have completely lost contact with the operations room in the Gaza Strip and all our teams operating there," it said on X, formerly Twitter.Hamas called on the world to "act immediately" to stop Israel attacking Gaza.The Hamas-run health ministry said Friday Israeli strikes on Gaza had now killed 7,326 people, mainly civilians and many of them children.The White House said the US backs a "humanitarian pause" so aid can get into Gaza."We would support humanitarian pauses for stuff getting in, as well as for people getting out, and that includes pushing for fuel to get in and for the restoration of electrical power," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Gaza faces "an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering" because of the lack of food, water and power during Israeli bombing."I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies," Guterres said in a statement."Misery is growing by the minute. Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering."The UN agency for Palestinian refugees had earlier warned that "many more will die" in Gaza from catastrophic shortages after nearly three weeks of bombardment by Israel.The UN human rights office also raised the alarm over "war crimes" being committed as the Israeli bombardment of Palestinian territories continued.Israel has cut supplies of food, water and power to Gaza, notably blocking all deliveries of fuel."People in Gaza are dying, they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of (the) siege," said Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugee (UNRWA)."Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage," he said of the densely populated territory where 45% of housing is reported to have been damaged or destroyed.A first tranche of critically needed aid was allowed in at the weekend, but since then only 74 trucks have crossed. Before the conflict, the UN says an average of 500 trucks entered Gaza every day."These few trucks are nothing more than crumbs that will not make a difference," Lazzarini said, insisting Gaza needed a "meaningful and uninterrupted aid flow" and a "humanitarian ceasefire to ensure this aid reaches those in need".A first team of six medics from the International Committee of the Red Cross entered Gaza yesterday via its Rafah crossing with Egypt, along with six aid trucks, the ICRC said.Between the bombardments and the fuel shortages, 12 of Gaza's 35 hospitals have been forced to close, and UNRWA said it has had to "significantly reduce its operations".Hamas said Israel had also tried to stage "a large-scale amphibious operation" on the coast around the southern town of Rafah but it had been thwarted.
October 27, 2023 | 11:15 PM