An Israeli spokesman claims this is not the official ground invasion, but Palestinians say it’s more intense than anything they’ve experienced so far.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
An Israeli military spokesperson announced “expanding ground operations” in the Gaza Strip, even as Israeli airstrikes have grown more “intense and sustained” in the past few hours.
Communication in and out of Gaza has been severed, adding a media blackout to the literal blackout.
Gaza residents have said Friday’s strikes were the most intense they’ve felt since Israel began operations earlier this month.
A CNN team in southern Israel described a huge wall of heavy smoke blowing from Gaza that lingered 15 to 30 minutes – possibly the type that serves as cover smoke that for military operations.
As hundreds of thousands of Israeli soldiers surrounding Gaza – on the ground, in the sea, and in the air – await orders to enter, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh declared, “the world is facing a historic moment ” and must act to stop the “aggression and massacres” that would certainly take place in a ground invasion.
An Israeli spokesperson claims the operations are “to protect the state.”
Middle East Monitor reports,
It is feared Israel will use the black out to commit greater war crimes against a population which will no longer be able to inform the world what is happening or get international help.
This also means Palestinians in Gaza can no longer call for an ambulance or civil defense teams to help in rescue operations after Israel targets their neighborhoods.
Reports from the area also appear to indicate tremors deep in the earth which can be felt for miles away, which analysts believe is Israel using new bombs to penetrate the Palestinian resistance’s tunnels.
A short time ago, Palestine Chronicle reported the following updates:
ISRAELI MILITARY: An Israeli military spokesman told ABC News that the expanded operations currently underway in Gaza are not the “official ground invasion” of the territory.
RESISTANCE NEWS NETWORK: “Intense armed clashes have broken out on the eastern front of the north and central Gaza Strip, as resistance fighters repel limited ground incursions by Zionist forces.”
AL-JAZEERA: Al Jazeera correspondent said that Israeli gunboats were bombing sites in Gaza, and that warplanes were launching a series of raids on the central Gaza Strip.
Check back for updates.
