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The Israeli military claims to have split the Gaza Strip, Palestine, in two in its land invasion tactics. Photo/BBC
GAZA – The Israeli military claims to have surrounded Gaza City, Palestine, and divided the coastal strip in two.
The bombarded region also experienced its third total communications blackout since the start of the war.
“Right now, there is north Gaza and south Gaza,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters on Sunday, calling it an “important stage” in Israel’s war against Hamas.
Israeli media reported that troops were expected to enter Gaza City within 48 hours. A powerful explosion was seen in northern Gaza after nightfall.
But the “collapse of connectivity” across Gaza reported by internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org and confirmed by Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel makes it even more complicated to convey details of the new phase of the military offensive.
“We lost communication with most of the UNRWA team members,” UN Palestinian refugee agency spokesperson Juliette Touma told the Associated Press, Monday (6/11/2023).
The first Gaza power outage lasted 36 hours and the second for several hours.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli warplanes attacked two refugee camps in central Gaza, killing at least 53 people and wounding dozens more. This figure was conveyed by local health officials.
Israel said it would continue its attacks on Hamas, despite the United States (US) requesting a brief pause to provide aid to desperate Gaza civilians.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in nearly a month of war, more than 4,000 of them children. The number of casualties is likely to increase as Israeli forces advance into dense urban environments.