Israel expanded its ground offensive into northern Gaza last night. Today marks three weeks since the Hamas attack on Israel.
Israel said today, Saturday, that its army moved to the “next phase of the operation” at night. In its attack on northern Gaza, Israel uses infantry, armored vehicles and pioneers accompanied by heavy artillery.
Unlike the previous nights, the Israeli army did not withdraw from the area. However, Israel did not specify whether this is the start of a full-scale attack or not.
Israel said it had destroyed, among other things, 150 underground tunnels and other targets of the terrorist organization Hamas.
The army also said that its fighter jets struck the head of Hamas’ air operations. According to Israel Asem Abu Rakaba was one of the main planners of the October 7 attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas.
2. Hamas says hundreds of buildings were destroyed during the night
Connections with Gaza have been almost severed since yesterday. Israel cut communication links to Gaza, which has a population of over two million, before the start of its operation. Only limited information has been received from the area today, Saturday.
A BBC reporter says that Israeli artillery fire from the border town of Sderot to Gaza is continuous.
Officials under Hamas said that hundreds of buildings have been destroyed in last night’s Israeli bombardment. According to the authorities, many areas of northern Gaza are unrecognizable as a result of the bombing.
The number of victims of last night’s attacks is not known. However, it is clear that there are many victims. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that a wider ground attack on Gaza would result in the deaths of thousands of civilians.
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Philippe Lazzarini compared the situation in Gaza to “hell on earth”.
The terrorist organization Hamas announced that it would release its hostages if Israel released all Palestinian prisoners.
3. Reactions in the world – Finland voted no in the UN
Israel’s ground attack has provoked fierce reactions in the world. In Turkey, even hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated for the Palestinians. The President of Turkey spoke at the rally Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on Israel to end the attack. Erdoğan called Israel an occupier and said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.
Israel responded by ordering its diplomats home from Turkey. The United States has also warned its citizens to be on their guard in Turkey.
Demonstrations in support of the Palestinians have also been organized in other parts of the world today, including in Helsinki.
Israel will also face pressure from within the country. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the prime minister is being protested in Israel today Benjamin Netanyahu against and for the release of hostages taken by Hamas. The Israeli police have threatened to break up the demonstration.
Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres calls for an immediate ceasefire to deliver aid. The UN General Assembly voted early on Saturday for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Along with many other European countries, Finland voted no because the resolution did not mention the terrorist organization Hamas.
4. What happens next?
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the ground operation will soon expand even further. The army said on Saturday evening that the city of more than half a million people in Gaza is now a battleground. Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli army once again ordered all residents of northern Gaza to evacuate to the south.