Israel expands ground operations in Gaza, as it intensifies air strikes
- Hamas’ armed wing said it was fighting Israeli forces in two areas inside the enclave, amid expectations that an expected ground invasion may be beginning
- Internet and mobile phone services in the area have been cut off by heavy Israeli bombardment
The Israeli military said on Friday it was expanding its ground operations in Gaza as it unleashed one of the fiercest bombardments in three weeks of war with the territory’s Hamas rulers.
Huge orange flashes lit up the night sky over Gaza City as air strike after air strike hit the shattered territory, where internet access and the phone network were cut.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the army was “extending” its ground operations after two straight nights of tank incursions, raising expectations that the long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza may be beginning.
Hamas’ armed wing said it was fighting Israeli forces in two areas inside the Gaza Strip.
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“We are confronting an Israeli ground incursion in Beit Hanoun [in the northern Gaza Strip] and in east Bureij [in the centre] and violent engagements are taking place on the ground,” the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.