A high-ranking Hamas leader is said to have been killed in an airstrike on the night of Saturday Internet access is lost over large parts of the Gaza Strip, according to NetBlocks. Mobile phone coverage has also collapsed It is not possible to call an ambulance in the Gaza Strip, according to the Red Crescent/Red Cross. Both they and several other organizations have lost contact with their colleagues in Gaza. Hamas says there are ongoing battles between them and the Israeli ground forces in Gaza. The IDF says it is expanding its ground invasion of Gaza on Friday night. There have been intense Israeli airstrikes against northern Gaza on the night of Saturday. Hamas says it fired a number of rockets at Israel late Friday, according to AFP. There have been powerful explosions in the Gaza Strip on Saturday night. Hamas says there have been ground battles in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. – We are confronting an Israeli ground invasion in Beit Hanoun and in the eastern part of Bueij. Violent clashes are taking place on the ground, says a statement from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. The Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF, said on Friday evening that it would expand ground activity and intensify air strikes. – Hamas will feel our wrath tonight. We are increasing the pressure on Hamas, and our military operations are underway. When this is over, Gaza will look very different, said Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Reuters. Thinks Israel is trying to obtain information Palle Ydstebø, head teacher at the War School, believes this may be a raid that Israel is using to obtain more information about the situation inside Gaza. – They move in as far as they think it is safe, perhaps towards targets they have already identified. They probably acquire intelligence, possibly deploy sensors, so at some point they will withdraw, he says. He therefore does not believe that this is a case of a full ground invasion. – Those are two completely different things. In a ground invasion, you go in with several larger forces, then you take ground and hold it, then you advance and keep the opponent away continuously. There will be no doubt when it eventually arrives, says Ydstebø. Raid, on the other hand, has the function of obtaining information to prepare possible attacks later. Fears of atrocities not being known It is difficult to get information out of Gaza because the internet connection is gone after airstrikes. Several organizations report that they have lost contact with employees on the ground. Human rights organizations fear the lack of internet and telephone connections will mean that horrific events will not be known. – This blacking out of information can lead to major atrocities being covered up and contribute to those responsible for violations of human rights going free, says analyst Deborah Brown in the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW). Palle Ydstebø at the War College also believes that the lack of telephone lines and internet will make it far more difficult to find out what is really happening in Gaza. – Especially the absence of completely independent sources in Gaza means that you have to rely on what comes from the information operations of Hamas and Israel, he says. He expects that there will eventually be information in social media and in the form of satellite images, which the outside world can use to form an overview. – But when you have managed it, the situation has changed again. It is part of warfare, to constantly create that uncertainty on both sides. Says Hamas leader killed On Saturday morning, the IDF says a high-ranking Hamas leader was killed in an airstrike. Among other things, Asem Abu Rakaba is said to have been responsible for drones and planning the attack against Israel on 7 October. The messages have not been confirmed by independent sources. Israel says, according to AFP, that they have hit 150 targets under the ground in northern Gaza on the night of Saturday. They say that they have hit tunnels and underground infrastructure, among other things. According to the IDF, several people are also said to have been killed in the attacks. Arrested after demonstrations On Friday evening there were demonstrations in several cities around the world. In New York, large crowds demonstrated with demands for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The train station Grand Central Station had to close due to the protests. It was a group that called itself Jewish Voice for Peace that organized the demonstration. The train station Grand Central Station in New York had to close after protesters gathered demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Several of the protesters in New York were arrested by the police. In Oslo, many protesters had gathered at the Israeli embassy on Friday evening to show support to Gaza. At the Raadhuspladsen in Copenhagen, many demonstrate in support of the children suffering in Gaza. Jews in Berlin set a long table with 220 empty chairs that symbolized the hostages taken by Hamas. According to the police, over 200 protesters were arrested, while the organizer believes that over 300 were arrested. New York has the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, with about 1.6 million Jews. New demonstrations are expected in several cities during Saturday.
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Fierce fighting in Gaza night to Saturday, phone and internet are gone – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
