Israel's multiple threats in recent weeks came to fruition on Friday night, in a deluge of fire the likes of which Gaza has not seen since October 7, the date of Hamas' terror attack on the Jewish state, which killed more than 1400,<> people. IDF tanks and soldiers have invaded the Palestinian Strip after <> days of hesitation, political debate, and deadly airstrikes.
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On Saturday morning, as Israeli shelling continued, Israel's army announced that it had struck 150 underground targets in the north of the Palestinian enclave where 2.3 million people live. IDF warplanes have bombed some tunnels of the "Gaza Metro," a huge network of underground tunnels where fighters, weapons and food are hiding. Asem Abu Rakaba, presented as the commander of Hamas' air force, was also neutralized, according to Israel.
'Unprecedented' bombing
As if anticipating this new stage of the much-talked about ground offensive, Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden had called, earlier in the day, for a "humanitarian truce", to "organize the protection" of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. But the words of the two leaders, who came to Israel a few days ago to show their "support" for the victims of terrorism, had no bearing on the start of this new phase.
Hostilities began shortly after 19 p.m. local time (18 p.m. in France). Intense shelling, "unprecedented" according to Israel, "the heaviest since the beginning of the war" according to Hamas, hit the north of the territory, which has already been shelled for more than two weeks. The few local correspondents covering Gaza suddenly saw their communications cut off, as did the Internet, preventing the sending of images and texts reporting on the events. With the networks cut off, Israel would be able to invest Gaza, and "extend" its ground offensive, as army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced in the aftermath.
Fear of 'mass atrocities'
"This information cut off risks being used as a cover for mass atrocities and contributing to impunity for human rights violations," Human Rights Watch official Deborah Brown said in a statement. The Palestinian Red Crescent and several UN agencies said they had lost contact with their teams on the ground, where the humanitarian situation is catastrophic, due to the "blackout", which has also been denounced by several human rights organisations.
In New York, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly called for an "immediate, lasting and sustained humanitarian truce". The resolution was immediately welcomed by Hamas and the Palestinian ambassador, but rejected by Israel, which the UN ambassador described as "infamy".
"We can support humanitarian pauses to let [aid] in, as well as get people out, and that also includes bringing in gasoline and restoring power," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. He declined to comment on the ongoing military operations on Friday night, adding that the United States has "not set red lines for Israel." Kirby said, however, that Washington had made clear to its Israeli ally its concern about "civilian casualties, collateral damage and how they choose to conduct" their operations.
'Heavy ground fighting'
Admittedly, the Jewish state had already communicated about night incursions in recent days. Thermal images provided by the Israeli military showed columns of tanks cautiously advancing through the bush, or crossing the fence separating Israel and the Strip. But this is the first time that Hamas' military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has communicated, on the night of Friday to Saturday, about "violent fighting in progress" "on the ground", particularly in Beit Hanoun, in the north, and al-Boureij, in the center.
Palestinians in Gaza spoke of heavy exchanges of fire in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel. At the same time, Palestinians from the occupied West Bank took to the streets of Jenin, Ramallah and Nablus to shout their anger at Israel.