Hamas said on Saturday its fighters in Gaza were ready to confront Israeli attacks withfull force after Israel  military widened its air and ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave. The Palestinian group that rules Gaza had said its fighters were clashing with Israeli troops in areas near the border with Israel after Israel reported intensified attacks in Gaza. By Saturday morning, a cutoff in internet and phone services - which telecoms firms and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said was a result of Israeli bombardments - had been continuing for more than 12 hours. In addition to the attacks carried out in the last few days, ground forces are expanding their operations tonight, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a televised news briefing on Friday evening, raising the question whether a long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza might be starting. He said Israel air force was conducting extensive strikes on tunnels dug by Hamas and on other infrastructure.

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had killed the head of Hamas aerial wing, who had helped plan the Oct. 7 attack by the Islamist group on Israel southern towns. The Israeli Defence Forces said its fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, head of the Hamas Aerial Array, who was responsible for Hamas UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and aerial defence. He took part in planning the massacre in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip on October 7th. He directed the terrorists who infiltrated Israel on paragliders and was responsible for the drone attacks on IDF posts,  the IDF said. The armed wing of Hamas said late on Friday its fighters were clashing with Israeli troops in Gaza northeastern town of Beit Hanoun and in the central area of Al-Bureij. Netanyahu and his defeated army will not be able to achieve any military victory, Hamas said in a statement early on Saturday, referring to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli ground forces had massed outside Gaza, where Israel has been conducting an intense campaign of aerial bombardment since the Oct. 7 attack. Israel says 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed and more than 200 taken hostage, some of them foreign nationals or with dual Israeli nationality. Since then, Palestinian health authorities say, Israeli bombing has killed more than 7,000 Palestinians. Al Jazeera, which was broadcasting live footage overnight showing frequent blasts in Gaza, said Israeli air strikes had hit areas around the enclave's main hospital. Reuters could not verify the reports of the strikes near Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Israel  military accused Hamas on Friday of using the hospital as a shield for its tunnels and operational centres, an allegation the group denied.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)