While Gaza is completely cut off from communications, it is difficult to confirm the Israeli army’s announcement.
The Israeli army claimed to have surrounded Gaza City and split the besieged coastal strip in two, as Gaza faced its third total communications blackout since the start of the war.
“Today there is northern Gaza and southern Gaza,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters on Sunday, calling it an “important step” in Israel’s war. against Hamas.
Israeli media reported that troops were expected to enter Gaza City within 48 hours. Heavy explosions were seen in northern Gaza after dark.
But the “collapse of connectivity” across Gaza reported by internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org and confirmed by Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel has made conveying details of the new phase of communication even more complicated. the military offensive.
“We have lost communication with the vast majority of UNRWA team members,” Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, told The Associated Press. The first outage in Gaza lasted 36 hours and the second a few hours.
Israeli bombing continues
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli military planes struck two refugee camps in central Gaza, killing at least 53 people and injuring dozens, health officials said.
Israel said it would continue its offensive against Hamas, despite U.S. calls for brief pauses to deliver aid to desperate civilians.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said more than 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in nearly a month of war, including more than 4,000 children. This toll will likely rise as Israeli troops advance into dense urban neighborhoods.
Airstrikes hit the Maghazi refugee camp overnight, killing at least 40 people and injuring 34 others, the health ministry said.
The camp is in the area where the Israeli army has urged Palestinian civilians to seek refuge.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Another airstrike hit a house near a school in the Bureji refugee camp in central Gaza. Staff at Al-Aqsa Hospital said at least 13 people were killed. The camp was also hit on Thursday.
Despite calls and demonstrations abroad, Israel continued its bombing of Gaza. Critics say Israeli strikes are often disproportionate, given the large number of civilians killed.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, a day after meeting with Arab foreign ministers.