Israel-Hamas war: Gaza blackout eases as ground invasion entering ‘second stage’

Telephone and internet communications are returning gradually to the Gaza Strip, several Palestinian media outlets said early on Sunday.

Most of Gaza was cut off from the rest of the world for more than two days after communication services were cut and electricity went out as the Israeli military launched ground operation.

Speaking at the press conference, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive in Gaza will be “difficult and long”.

He added that Israel is fighting its “second war of independence,” as he said: “We always said never again – never again is now.”

Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said retrieving the hostages “is not a secondary mission, this is a mission of supreme importance” as he gave a final ultimatum to the Gazans to leave for the south of the strip.

Connectivity is slowly returning to Gaza after it was knocked out on Friday evening, leaving over two million people without internet or phone usage while Israel intensified their aerial bombardments.

Internet monitoring service NetBlocks posted network data on X – formerly known as Twitter – showing that internet connectivity was being restored on Sunday.

Thousands of Gaza residents broke into warehouses and distribution centres of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) grabbing flour and “basic survival items”, the organisation said on Sunday.

“This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza,” UNRWA said in a statement.

Aid supplies to Gaza have been choked since Israel began bombarding the Palestinian enclave in response to a deadly attack by its ruling militant group Hamas.

Qatar’s foreign ministry has warned that Israel’s bombardment and incursion into Gaza will have “catastrophic repercussions” on the stability of the region.

“The State of Qatar expresses its deep concern over the Israeli ground incursion into Gaza Strip, and considers it a dangerous development that will have devastating security and humanitarian effects in the Strip, especially on the safety of civilians and hostages,” a statement read.

“It also warns of the catastrophic repercussions on the security and stability of the region.”

The foreign ministry said the incursion constituted a “flagrant violation” of the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly calling for an immediate humanitarian truce.

Ministers are reviewing the definition of extremism in a move that could reportedly allow councils and police forces to cut off funding to charities and religious groups found to have aired hateful views.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove is understood to have ordered officials to draw up a new official definition of extremism in a move designed to counter hate, including antisemitism.

In a letter to Reuters and AFP, the Israeli military said it cannot assure the safety of journalists present in the Gaza Strip after media agencies sought assurances.

“The IDF is targeting all Hamas military activity throughout Gaza,” the IDF letter said, adding that Hamas deliberately put military operations “in the vicinity of journalists and civilians”.

The IDF also noted that its high-intensity strikes on Hamas targets could cause damage to surrounding buildings and that Hamas rockets could also misfire and kill people inside Gaza.

“Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee your employees’ safety, and strongly urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety,” the IDF letter concluded.

Reuters and AFP said they were very concerned about the safety of journalists in Gaza.

“The situation on the ground is dire, and the IDF’s unwillingness to give assurances about the safety of our staff threatens their ability to deliver the news about this conflict without fear of being injured or killed,” Reuters said in a statement in response to receiving the Israel military letter.

Israel has entered the “second stage” of its war on Hamas, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, with an extended ground operation inside Gaza involving tanks and troops. That is backed up by the heaviest aerial bombardment the besieged Strip has faced since the retaliatory airstrikes began.

The Israeli leader said that this will be a “long and difficult” conflict but that the military “will not withdraw”.

“We are only at the beginning. The battle within the Gaza Strip will be difficult and long; this is our second war of independence,” he added.

Israeli warplanes struck areas close to Gaza’s largest hospital early morning today as it remains crowded with patients and tens of thousands of Palestinians seeking shelter.

Israel has said Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers have a command post under the hospital, without providing much evidence.

Residents said the latest airstrikes destroyed most of the roads leading to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which is part of the northern half of the besieged territory, which Israel has told people to evacuate.

“Reaching the hospital has become increasingly difficult,” Mahmoud al-Sawah, who is sheltering in the hospital, said over the phone. “It seems they want to cut off the area.”

Another Gaza City resident, Abdallah Sayed, said the Israeli bombing over the past two days was “the most violent and intense” since the war started.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday “Israeli obstacles” including truck inspection procedures were impeding the prompt delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian enclave.

“The trucks must be inspected at the Israeli Nitzana crossing before they head to the Rafah crossing on a journey that takes a distance of 100 km (62 miles) before they actually enter the Rafah crossing, which causes obstacles that significantly delay the arrival of aid,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

The Rafah crossing, which is controlled by Egypt and does not border Israel, has become the main point of aid delivery since Israel imposed a siege on Gaza in retaliation for an attack by Hamas militants from the coastal strip on Oct. 7.

Before the conflict, about 500 trucks a day were crossing into Gaza, but in recent days, an average of only 12 trucks a day have entered, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.

A border source said that trip results in a 16-hour delay and was the reason why the number of trucks never again reached a high of 20 achieved on the first day deliveries were restarted.