It was the culmination of three weeks of non-stop Israeli rockets raining down on Gaza, and as darkness fell, the intensity of the attack increased exponentially.
In addition to airstrikes along the strip, one of the most densely populated areas on earth, artillery fire and tank shells swept through the increasing darkness, each bringing their own wave of destruction.
“We have entered the next phase of the war,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said as daybreak revealed hundreds of destroyed buildings.
“Last night the ground in Gaza shook. We attacked above ground and underground. The campaign will continue until further notice.’
In a press conference last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was waging its “second war of independence” and that it would be a “long war.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured right) said Israel is waging its “second war of independence” and it will be a “long war.”
He added: “We will fight and not surrender.” We will not retreat. It will be a victory of good over evil as we fight for our lives.” He said the military had advanced into the “stronghold of evil,” adding: “This is the second phase of the war, which has clear objectives “To destroy Hamas and bring our hostages home.”
He said his “heart breaks” for the families of the 229 hostages in Gaza, adding: “I promise that we will do our utmost to bring them back.”
In the “next phase,” fighter jets attacked targets in the north of the Gaza Strip on Friday evening, including the suburbs of Gaza City. There were also attacks around Al-Shifa Hospital, which Israel says hides a Hamas command and control center, making it a military target.
According to some reports, the Israeli Air Force used “bunker buster” rifles to destroy Hamas’ tunnel network. The missiles’ first warhead creates a hole, then a second penetrates deeper into the earth and destroys underground structures.
At least 100 fighter-bombers attacked around 150 underground targets. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari again warned civilians in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate immediately.
A power, internet and cell phone outage was the clearest signal that the ground invasion had begun.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Saturday evening to “completely eliminate” Hamas.
Then, after dark but under a nearly full moon, around 8 p.m., the column of tanks waiting near the Israeli town of Sderot began inching forward, then picked up speed as it rolled toward the same fence that Hamas’ death squads had on had broken through on October 7th.
They were joined by vehicles carrying troops who would remain in Gaza instead of withdrawing before dawn as they did on Wednesday and Thursday.
At the same time, Israeli special forces attacked the port of Gaza City. Hamas defiantly fired volley after volley of rockets at Israel.
The minaret of a mosque was close enough to the launch site to be illuminated by the rockets – an acknowledgment that Hamas would use any building as cover if necessary.
Explaining their high-risk strategy to The Mail on Sunday, an Israeli military source said: “Our ground operation is not a full-scale invasion.” It is “modular”, meaning we enter an area, then withdraw and return with larger forces if necessary can.
A Palestinian carries a wounded man after an Israeli air strike on the northern Gaza Strip
People take cover as sirens of incoming rockets sound amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
Shortly after Netanyahu addressed the nation, frightened Israelis in Tel Aviv were seen running for cover as rocket sirens blared across the city
A photo from the southern city of Ashkelon in Israel shows rockets fired from the Gaza Strip on October 28
Smoke rises over Gaza, as seen from Israel’s border with Gaza on Saturday
Fire and smoke rise after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel
“The modular method puts pressure on the Hamas leadership. The idea is to place increasing distress on whoever is holding the hostages and to cause Hamas and Islamic Jihad to limit the manipulations and psychological warfare games they have been conducting.”
The source acknowledged that there was a risk of hostages being taken in a ground invasion. “Some argue that the lives of the hostages should not be put at risk and therefore negotiations should continue.”
The families of the hostages met with Mr Netanyahu last night and expressed concern that they could be killed in the attacks. On Friday it was clear that the “negotiations” over the hostages agreed by the Israeli cabinet, which were brokered by Qatar, were just a temporary exercise by Hamas.
The source added: “A second school of thought suggests that without the additional pressure created by the ground.” [assault] In Gaza, Hamas will never release the Israeli hostages, including children, women and the elderly, who are actually the only political and effective card left in their hands.”
As dawn broke yesterday, the bombardment continued, but this time it was interrupted by a new sound – heavy machine gun and small arms fire as the sides fought closer battles than before and the war entered a new and equally bloody chapter.