The IDF intensified its attacks in the Gaza Strip and accelerated its invasion on the night of Friday, October 27, to Saturday, October 28, pushing the conflict between Hamas and Israel into a “new phase.”
A war that is entering “a new phase.” This is what Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this Saturday, October 28, after a night of intense bombing and incursions by the Israeli army into the Gaza Strip.
An offensive that, according to the Israeli army spokesman, is only “at the beginning”. This Saturday, Israeli tanks continue to gather at the border of the Palestinian enclave and rocket fire continues.
“Our forces are currently deployed on the ground in the Gaza Strip,” army chief General Herzi Halevi said in a televised message.
According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, 7,650 people, mostly civilians, including more than 3,500 children, have been killed in Israeli bombings since October 7, the day of Hamas’s terrorist attacks in Israel.
• “150 underground targets” hit
Armored tanks, helicopters, warships… The Israeli army’s attacks on the Gaza Strip have reached unprecedented levels since the conflict with Hamas began three weeks ago. The IDF said on Saturday it hit “150 underground targets” in the north of the enclave overnight.
“During the night, IDF warplanes attacked 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip, including tunnel used by terrorists, underground fighting sites and other underground infrastructure,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
In addition, “several Hamas terrorists are killed,” including an official from the Palestinian organization responsible for “paramotors, drones, detection equipment and air defense.”
“Asem Abou Rakaba participated in organizing the massacre of communities on the Gaza border on October 7,” the statement said. “He led terrorists infiltrating Israel using paramotors and was responsible for drone strikes on IDF monitoring posts.”
A photo taken in the southern Israeli city of Sderot shows rockets fired into Israel from Gaza on October 28, 2023, as fighting continues between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. – ARIS MESSINIS / AFP
According to Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal, “hundreds of buildings and houses were completely destroyed” during the nighttime raids.
In response, the Palestinian Islamist movement announced that it had fired “barrels of rockets” at Israel.
• Gaza City is considered a “battlefield”
The Israeli army warned that it now viewed Gaza City and its region as a “battlefield” and ordered residents to “immediately” move south.
“Gaza Governorate has become a battlefield. The refuges and the entire governorate are not safe,” reads leaflets that the Israeli army allegedly dropped on Palestinian territory.
“They must immediately head towards the areas south of Wadi Gaza,” the river that crosses the area from east to west.
An Israeli army soldier advances toward a position in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon during an exercise, October 28, 2023. – JALAA MAREY / AFP
Since this Friday, the Palestinian enclave has been cut off from the rest of the world. The internet connection is interrupted. A real problem for the NGOs working there trying to help the 2.4 million Palestinians experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe. NGOs and UN agencies have reported losing contact with their teams in Gaza.
“Humanitarian operations and hospital activities cannot continue without communication,” said Lynn Hastings, a U.N. official.
Deborah Brown, director of Human Rights Watch, regrets that “this information blackout risks serving as a cover for mass atrocities and contributing to impunity for human rights abuses.”
Israeli spokesman Daniel Hagari reiterated that the army would allow “the entry of food, medicine and water for the population” from Gaza this Saturday.
• Families of hostages “worried” about their loved ones
As the Gaza Strip is bombarded with unprecedented violence, the families of the nearly 230 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, Israelis, dual nationals or foreigners, have expressed their “concern” and are demanding explanations from the government.
“Families are worried about the fate of their loved ones and are waiting for explanations. Every minute seems like an eternity,” they complain.
These attacks “put the hostages in danger,” said Haim Rubinstein, spokesman for the Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons. After speaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they reiterated the need to “bring them all back now.”
For its part, Hamas’s military branch reiterated on Saturday that it was ready to release the hostages it kidnapped during its attack on Israeli soil in return for the release of all Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Women walk past a building destroyed after an Israeli bombardment in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on October 28, 2023. – SAYS KHATIB / AFP
• UN chief regrets “unprecedented escalation”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres deplored this Saturday “the unprecedented escalation” of the bombings in Gaza and renewed his call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”.
“Unfortunately, instead of a pause, I was surprised by an unprecedented escalation of bombings and their devastating impact, endangering humanitarian objectives,” he said from Doha.
For his part, the head of EU diplomacy called for a “pause in hostilities”. “Far too many civilians, especially children, have been killed. This violates international humanitarian law,” he wrote on social networks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday accused the West of being “the main culprit in the massacres in Gaza.”
Reactions are also increasing in France. The Socialist Party’s first secretary, Olivier Faure, denounced a reaction that had “turned into revenge” and called on France and Europe to “sit down at the table” to reach a ceasefire.
Emmanuel Macron recalled this Friday that “a distinction must be made between Hamas and the civilian population,” adding that “a humanitarian ceasefire is necessary.”
Juliette Brossault with AFP