Gaza under blackout as Israel attacks 'everywhere'

Gaza’s besieged people had barely any communications with the outside world on Saturday as Israeli jets dropped more bombs.

Israel said troops sent in on Friday night were still in the field whereas previously it had made only brief sorties during three weeks of bombing to destroy Hamas whom it said killed 1,400 Israelis.

“We attacked above the ground and under ground, we attacked terror operatives of all ranks, everywhere,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.

Though there is no indication as yet of a ground invasion en masse, Israel is telling Gaza’s 2.3 million people to move away from the north where it says Hamas is hiding under civilian buildings. Palestinians say nowhere is safe, with bombs also smashing homes in the south of the densely populated territory.

Gaza’s phone and internet services have been almost completely cut since Friday evening, which the Palestinian Red Crescent blamed on Israel. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Aid agencies say a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding for Gazans who are under a total Israeli blockade. Health authorities in the territory said 7,650 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s bombardment began.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the blackout was blocking ambulances and evacuations of patients and denying people safe shelter.

He and other aid agencies said they could not contact their staff, but a representative from the International Committees of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Gaza got an audio message out.

William Schomburg said medics were working around the clock while also dealing with personal tragedies. “I spoke to one doctor who had lost his brother and cousin the night before,” he told the BBC broadcaster in a clip the ICRC posted on X.

The few journalists who made contact with the outside world depicted a hellish situation.

“If you are dying, you can’t ring up the ambulance service. If you are struck, whatever happens, you can’t communicate with anyone,” Plestia Alaqad said in a video on social media with drones and planes buzzing in the background.

“There is no internet, no network, no service, no fuel to move around by car, no electricity, nothing.”

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk offered help from his Starlink satellite network to support communications in Gaza for internationally recognised aid organisations.