Israel stated Saturday its warfare on Hamas had “entered a new phase” with a large bombardment of Gaza because the Islamist group demanded the discharge of all Palestinian prisoners in change for the hostages it seized three weeks in the past.

The United Nations warned 1000’s extra civilians might die as Israel stated its forces had been nonetheless working inside Gaza greater than 24 hours after coming into the Hamas-run territory.

Israel unleashed its bombing marketing campaign after Hamas gunmen stormed throughout the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 folks, principally civilians, and seizing greater than 220 hostages, based on Israeli officers.

The Hamas-controlled well being ministry in Gaza stated Israeli strikes had since killed 7,703 folks, primarily civilians, with greater than 3,500 of them youngsters.

The battle is the fifth and deadliest in Gaza since Israel unilaterally withdrew troops and settlers from the Palestinian territory in 2005.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned of “the possibly catastrophic consequences of large-scale ground operations in Gaza”, saying “thousands more civilians” might die.

The intense strikes in opposition to Hamas, the Islamist group that has dominated Gaza since 2007, supplied cowl for Israeli floor forces to step up operations inside Gaza.

“Since early Friday evening, combined combat forces of armour, combat engineers and infantry have been operating on the ground in the northern Gaza Strip,” the military stated late Saturday.

Israel has massed tens of 1000’s of troops alongside the Gaza border elevating expectations of a full-blown invasion, with its troopers making restricted floor incursions on Wednesday and Thursday.

“We’ve entered a new phase in the war,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Saturday.

“Last night, the ground in Gaza shook. We attacked above the ground and below the ground,” he stated, alluding to the community of tunnels Hamas has constructed below Gaza.

Israeli fighter jets dropped leaflets over Gaza City Saturday warning residents that the world was now a “battlefield”.

“Shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza governorate are not safe,” the military stated, urging residents to “evacuate immediately” to the south.

The military already delivered related warnings earlier in its marketing campaign, however many who fled south ended up returning house after failing to search out refuge from Israeli bombing.

‘Price to pay’

Hamas’s armed wing stated it was able to launch the hostages it kidnapped if Israel freed all of the Palestinian prisoners it was holding.

“The price to pay for the large number of enemy hostages in our hands is to empty the (Israeli) prisons of all Palestinian prisoners,” Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida stated.

“If the enemy wants to close this file of detainees in one go, we are ready for it. If it wants to do it step-by-step, we are ready for that too,” he added.

Some 229 hostages are being held within the Gaza Strip, lots of them foreigners or twin nationals, the Israeli military says.

Earlier this week, the Brigades stated “almost 50” of the hostages had been killed in Israeli air strikes.

Facing growing anger over the destiny of the captives as Israel steps up its warfare on Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to fulfill representatives of hostage family members who demanded to understand how the federal government would deal with the disaster.

Netanyahu made no dedication to any change deal however assured them Israel would “exhaust every option to bring them home”.

Communications blackout

Overnight, lots of of buildings and homes had been fully destroyed and 1000’s broken, Gaza officers stated.

Amid the rubble in Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza, Alaa Mahdi likened the destruction to that of an “earthquake”.

“If it were a natural earthquake, it would have been much easier than what happened last night,” he stated.

Israeli fighter jets hit 150 “terror tunnels, underground combat spaces and additional underground infrastructure” and “several Hamas terrorists were killed”, the military stated.

On Friday night, Hamas stated all web connections and communications throughout Gaza had been minimize.

AFP journalists in Gaza confirmed they had been solely in a position to talk in restricted areas the place they might hook up with Israeli networks throughout the border.

The Palestinian Red Crescent stated the outage had disrupted ambulance providers.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Lynne Hastings, warned that “hospitals & humanitarian operations can’t continue without communications”.

Between the bombardments and the gas shortages, 12 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals have been compelled to shut and the UN company for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, stated it has needed to “significantly reduce its operations”.

‘Stop this insanity’

EU overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell demanded a “pause of hostilities” to permit assist into Gaza, after the UN General Assembly referred to as for an “immediate humanitarian truce”.

The non-binding decision on Friday obtained overwhelming assist, however Israel and the United States criticised it for failing to say Hamas.’

Addressing a rally of a number of hundred thousand Palestinian supporters in Istanbul on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated “the main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West.”

He accused Israel of behaving like a “war criminal” and making an attempt to “eradicate” Palestinians, describing its Gaza bombardment as “a vicious massacre”.

His feedback prompted Israel to announce it was recalling all of its diplomats from Turkey.

Israel’s bombing marketing campaign has displaced greater than 1.4 million folks inside Gaza, based on the UN, whereas provides of meals, water and energy to the crowded territory have been virtually fully minimize off.

A primary convoy of assist was allowed on October 21, however solely 84 vehicles have crossed in complete, based on the UN, which says a day by day common of 500 vehicles had entered Gaza earlier than the battle.

Violence has additionally risen sharply within the occupied West Bank because the October 7 assaults, with greater than 100 Palestinians killed, based on the UN.