(VOVWORLD) - Israeli forces waged ground operations against Hamas in Gaza on Sunday in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the second phase of a three-week-old conflict aimed at crushing the Palestinian militant group.
 Palestinians inspect the site of Israeli strikes on houses, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 27, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem) |
Gaza's besieged residents faced a near-total communications and Internet blackout as Israel's warplanes dropped bombs and its troops and armour pushed into the Hamas-ruled enclave, with Israeli military chiefs signaling they were gearing up for an expanded ground offensive.
Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Netanyahu warned Israelis to expect a "long and hard" campaign. Some of US President Joe Biden's aides have advised Israeli counterparts to hold off on an immediate all-out assault, US officials have said.
Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded Gaza for three weeks since the Islamist group Hamas' devastating Oct. 7 attack. At least 1,400 Israelis were killed in the deadliest day of the nation's 75-year history, Israeli authorities said.
The death toll in Gaza has climbed to 7,650 dead, mostly civilians, according to a daily report released on Saturday from the Palestinian health ministry.