Israeli PM warns Gaza ground invasion is second stage of war against Hamas
The Israeli Prime Minister declared the war against Hamas has entered its second stage as all communications have been cut out in Gaza - ITV News' Rachel Townsend reports
The war against Hamas is in its second stage with 'very clear objectives', the Israeli PM said in a press conference on Saturday.
Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of the 229 hostages being held by Hamas.
Israel's military has repeated its call for civilians in northern Gaza to relocate south for their safety, calling Gaza City a 'battlefield'.
Turkish President Erdogan said his country is making preparations to proclaim Israel a 'war criminal' for its actions in Gaza.
229 hostages are being held in Gaza, the Israeli ministry reports.
The death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 7,300, while more than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, according to respective health officials.
Israel's prime minister has said its military forces have entered the second stage of its war against Hamas, as Palestinians in northern Gaza and Gaza City are being urged to flee.
In a press conference on Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu said the ongoing war with Hamas will be "long and difficult", describing it as Israel's "second war of independence" since Hamas's terror attacks on 7 October.
ITV News Correspondent Rachel Townsend said there is a "constant barrage of explosions" coming from Gaza, after intense bombardment by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) on Friday.
Israeli ground forces confirmed they were "expanding their operation", with Gaza left in a complete blackout after phone and internet connections were cut.
'There is almost a constant barrage of explosions coming from Gaza': As communications have been completely blocked out in Gaza, ITV News' Rachel Townsend reports from Southern Israel
After Israeli military expanded its ground operation on Friday, a Palestinian militant group in Gaza said it fired a barrage of rockets Saturday evening on Tel Aviv and on Ashkelon and Ashdod in southern Israel.
The rockets by Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was the latest in a serious of rocket attacks on Israel on Saturday as Israeli forces continued its relentless aid and land bombardment. Residents in northern Gaza and Gaza City have been urged to move south, while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ground forces had entered Hamas to "dismantle" it and bring hostages home.
Netanyahu's comments came after he met with representatives of hostage families, who had gathered in a square in downtown Tel Aviv and demanded that the government put the return of their loved ones ahead of Israel’s military objectives.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a mass pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that his country was making preparations to proclaim Israel a “war criminal” for its actions in Gaza. In his address to hundreds of thousands of people who joined the rally, Erdogan also held Western countries responsible for the deaths in Gaza for failing to stop Israel’s attacks. “Israel, we will proclaim you as a war criminal to the world,” Erdoga said. “We are making our preparations, and we will declare Israel to the world as a war criminal.”
It comes after the UN General Assembly approved a resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres posted on X calling for a ceasefire, saying "this is a moment of truth".
"Everyone must assume their responsibilities. This is a moment of truth. History will judge us all," he added.
Journalist Plestia Alaqad is living in Gaza, and says the sounds of bombs are 'non-stop'
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf said he has not heard from his in-laws in Gaza as it comes under heavy bombardment from Israeli armed forces.
Mr Yousaf said on Saturday he had been unable to contact his wife’s mother and her husband after communications were cut off as bombing of the Gaza Strip intensified.
Writing on X, he said: “Thank you for your good wishes, I’m afraid we have not heard from my in-laws.
“My concern is for all the innocent people suffering for a crime they did not commit. If you did not vote for peace, while children are dying, then I do not know how you sleep at night.”
Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud, Jordan's ambassador to the UN, speaks about the bombardment on Gaza by the IDF
Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive against the Hamas militant group.
This comes as the UN warned fuel shortages continue to worsen the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
"There is not much humanity left in Gaza and hell is settling in," the commissioner-general of UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned.
As Israel launches fresh raids on Gaza, fears across the wider region are growing over the potential involvement of more players in the conflict.
Airstrikes have flattened entire communities, and Israel's blockade on Gaza has left people struggling to get food, fuel and electricity.
More than a million people in Gaza have fled their homes, with many following Israel's orders to evacuate to the south, but these regions, including the city of Khan Younis have faced increased shelling this week.
Shelters in the area are almost three times over capacity, a UN representative in Palestine warned.
“In the room the size of a classroom 70 people sleep, eat, drink and take care of their families”, Samer Abdeljaber said, adding that there are eight toilets for 25,000 people.
'We have reiterated our support for Israeli's self-defence but also an adherence to international law'
The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told broadcasters: “We have consistently sought to bring about pauses to facilitate the inward passage of humanitarian aid that we are providing and the release of hostages and the evacuation of British nationals in Gaza, so that has been our position from the start.
“Of course we want to see this resolved, we want to see Israel safe, peaceful and secure.
“But, as yet, I have seen or heard nothing from Hamas that gives me any confidence that they desire or would abide by calls for a ceasefire.”
Humanitarian help 'paralysed' in Gaza
Aid is beginning to trickle into the 25-mile stretch of land, after it was crippled by blockades and airstrikes.
After Hamas fighters launched their incursion, Israel stopped the supply of food, fuel, electricity and medical items.
The main UN agency aiding Palestinians said its operations in Gaza are being “paralysed” due to this.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Phillipe Lazzarini said: “The last remaining public services are collapsing, our aid operation is crumbling and for the first time ever, [our staff] report that people are now hungry.
“Over the last week, I followed closely the focus about the number of trucks entering Gaza. Many of us saw in these trucks a glimmer of hope.
"These show trucks are nothing more than crumbs that would not make a difference for the 2 million people [of Gaza].”
Charity, The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 12 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Thursday, carrying water, food, medicine and medical supplies - but no fuel.
The organisation said it has received 74 trucks since humanitarian aid transfers into the Gaza Strip resumed several days ago.
Hunger and disease are rapidly becoming a major issue for those living in the territory, as the UN warned the current aid levels in Gaza are "nothing more than crumbs".
“Food and water are running out. The streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said.
"Gaza is on the brink of a massive health hazard as the risks of diseases are looming."
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