The Israeli military claims it has killed a Hamas commander responsible for the aerial attack on 7 October, which saw paragliders enter southern Israel and kill over a thousand civilians.
This comes as the IDF ground forces are “expanding their activity” in the Gaza Strip, as the enclave is plunged into darkness and lines of communication have gone down.
Israeli forces are intensifying bombings of targets in Gaza city at intervals for hours amid reports of fighting inside the enclave between Israeli troops and Hamas.
The territory’s internet and mobile communications services collapsed last evening.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the army’s spokesperson, said aerial attacks had been targeting Hamas tunnels and other targets.
“In addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening,” he said on Friday evening. “The IDF is acting with great force ... to achieve the objectives of the war.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a resolution drafted by Arab states calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza and demanded aid access to Gaza and protection of civilians. It was vetoed by the US and Israel.
What can we expect next in Israel-Hamas war? Ask our expert Kim Sengupta anything about the conflict