Israel’s military has begun to move some ground forces into Gaza, an escalation of the military conflict as it reaches the 3-week mark.
Ground forces were reported moving into Gaza Saturday morning. This move is a significant expansion of Israeli military efforts after the Israel Defense Forces reported two “targeted raids” into the region on Wednesday night and Thursday night. The raids withdrew quickly. It does not appear the attack is aiming to seize or hold any significant amount of territory, however. Rather, it was part of a “new phase” led by the IDF.
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“The earth in Gaza shook,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement. “We attacked above ground and below ground, we attacked terror operatives of all ranks, in all places. The commands to the forces are clear: The operation will continue until a new order.”
“Regarding other areas, we are preparing to defend Israeli citizens, to safeguard their security. We are doing this in the north, the center and everywhere,” Gallant added.
Gallant’s remarks were released after he met with top Israeli security officials, according to The Times of Israel.
The deployment of forces earlier this week was followed by several heavy artillery strikes against northern Gaza, with teams reporting hearing multiple explosions in the region every minute. IDF soldiers told CNN that the overnight rocket strikes were the most intense since the initial attack on Oct. 7, although they diminished in intensity overnight.
This includes trading fire with Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon after the group fired rockets toward Israel on Friday.
The bombardment turned Gaza into a “Ball of fire,” health ministry official Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement. At least 377 more Palestinians lost their lives despite living in designated safe areas, according to Al-Jazeera.
The attacks have led to severed communications with several parties in Gaza after the attacks damaged the sole internet provider in Gaza. The World Health Organization and several United Nations agencies have reported losing contact with feet on the ground.
Elon Musk announced in response that his satellite-based internet provider Starlink will “will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.”
Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.
[ComStar]
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023
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Musk provided similar services in Ukraine, although he received flak in September after it was revealed that he had ordered the deactivation of Starlink in September 2022 near the coast of Crimea after conversing with Russian officials.
