Israel-Hamas war: IDF says fighter jets hit 150 ‘underground targets’ in Gaza overnight
Israel has claimed to have killed one of the key architects behind Hamas’ devestating terror attack that killed 1400 as it advanced into Gaza.
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Hamas has vowed to meet Israeli counter-attacks with “full force” after Israel’s military ramped up its air and ground attacks on Gaza in what’s been described as the besieged territory’s “bloodiest night” since the start of the war.
Israel had earlier made only brief sorties into Gaza during three weeks of bombardment to root out Hamas militants, who it said had killed 1400 Israelis, mostly civilians, on October 7.
“The forces are still in the field and continuing the war,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told a news briefing on Saturday morning.
The armed wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam brigades, said its fighters were clashing with Israeli troops in Gaza’s northeastern town of Beit Hanoun and in the central area of Al-Bureij.
“Al-Qassam Brigades and all Palestinian resistance forces are fully prepared to confront the aggression with full force and thwart the incursions,” it said.
The increased fighting came amid heavy air bombardments which knocked out communications to create a near-blackout of information, largely cutting off the 2.3 million people in besieged Gaza from contact with the outside world.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, who reported live from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, described it as “the most difficult and bloodiest night since the beginning of this war” for Palestinians.
Overnight, IDF fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, the Head of Hamas' Aerial Array.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 28, 2023
Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas' UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and defense.
He took part in planning the October 7 massacre and commanded the terrorists who infiltrated…
Terror mastermind killed, says Israel
The head of Hamas’s aerial array, Issam Abu Rukbeh — who also helped organise the air assault into Israel — was killed overnight in an air strike, the IDF announced.
“Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas’ UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and defence,” the IDF wrote in a post on X.
The IDF claims Abu Rakaba oversaw the planning and execution of the attacks in Southern Israel earlier this month by directing the terrorists on hang gliders, as well as drone attacks on troops since Hamas’s invasion.
‘State of panic’: Israel escalates bombing
The Israeli military said its fighter jets hit 150 “underground targets” in northern Gaza overnight as battles continued to rage on Saturday, local time.
A military statement said the sites hit included “terror tunnels, underground combat spaces and additional underground infrastructure.”
Its statement also said “several Hamas terrorists were killed” naming the head of Hamas’ aerial operations, Asem Abu Rakaba.
The update comes after Israel warned it was “expanding operations” into the besieged area.
On Saturday, a CNN team at an Israeli checkpoint near the Gaza Strip perimeter reported some of the explosions from artillery strikes in northern Gaza were so strong that the impact could be felt physically where they were, about a kilometre from the border.
A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Regev, told CNN an “expansion” of ground operations in Gaza meant the army was “beefing up the pressure on Hamas.”
He told the US-based network “that pressure will increase and continue to increase until we achieve our goal.”
BBC correspondent Rushdi Abualouf, who is in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said there was a “state of panic, fear and chaos” on Saturday as Israeli air strikes continued around the city, even though it is meant to be a safe southern part.
He said with cell phone and internet services cut, Palestinians were cut off from the outside world and were also “unable to communicate with each other”.
Extensive and intense bombing of the northern area of Gaza lit the night skies on Friday, local time, while internet services and phone networks were cut.
Rockets were also fired from Gaza into Israel overnight.
The Israeli military said one raid had killed Asem Abu Rakaba, who it said played a key role in the October 7 attacks that set off the current war.
According to the Israeli military, Abu Rakaba oversaw Hamas drones, paragliders, aerial detection and aerial defence.
“He directed the terrorists who infiltrated Israel on paragliders and was responsible for the drone attacks on IDF (Israel Defence Forces) posts,” said a statement.
While the number of casualties are not yet known, the civil defence service in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory said the overnight air strikes had destroyed hundreds of buildings.
“Hundreds of buildings and houses were completely destroyed and thousands of other homes were damaged,” spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defence, Mahmud Bassal, told AFP.
He said the intense bombardments had “changed the landscape” of northern Gaza.
The strikes left wide craters in the streets and flattened many buildings in the area.
Continue reading for earlier updates.
Israel launches ground incursion into Gaza
Israeli troops and tanks are on the ground in Gaza as they expand their military operation.
Its army has also begun an aerial bombardment — with strikes of “unprecedented” intensity hitting the region.
“Our troops and tanks are inside the Gaza Strip. They’re shooting and they’re operating,” IDF Major Nir Dinar confirmed to the New York Times.
He added: “But our troops and tanks were inside Gaza yesterday as well.”
Hamas’s armed wing the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said: “We are confronting an Israeli ground incursion in Beit Hanoun (in the northern Gaza Strip) and east Bureij (in the centre) and violent engagements are taking place on the ground.”
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 27, 2023
Israel has launched a ground incursion into Northern Gaza.
The IDF is advancing toward Beit Hanoun from 3 directions. pic.twitter.com/FCIsq9jznR
The United Nations warned of a looming “unprecedented avalanche of human suffering” inside the Gaza Strip, while the General Assembly called for an “immediate humanitarian truce”.
Australia didn’t vote for Gaza truce
Australia’s representative to the United Nations has joined a global chorus calling for a ceasefire to the Israel-Gaza war but stopped short of backing a resolution.
In New York on Friday, UN member nations overwhelmingly voted for a “sustained humanitarian truce” in the conflict to allow aid to reach Gazan civilians.
The resolution, brought by Jordan, was backed by 120 countries, while 14 nations voted no and 45 – including Australia – abstained.
Ambassador James Larsen said Australia agrees with the “central proposition” but could not back the resolution without condemning Hamas.
Israeli Foreign Minister ‘rejects’ ceasefire
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has taken to social media to “reject outright” the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming vote calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Mr Cohen called the vote “despicable” and vowed that Hamas would be crushed in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
“Israel intends to eliminate Hamas just as the world dealt with the Nazis and ISIS,” he wrote.
We reject outright the UN General Assembly despicable call for a ceasefire.
— ×לי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) October 27, 2023
Israel intends to eliminate Hamas just as the world dealt with the Nazis and ISIS.
Israeli forces active in new location, unconfirmed
Unconfirmed reports from Palestinian media say Israeli forces are active in the town of Zawata, near Nablus in the West Bank, The Australian reports.
Other reports suggest forces are also engaged in Nablus itself.
US Speaker talks with Israeli PM
Newly-minted US House speaker Mike Johnson has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express solidarity with his nation as it widens expands its ground operations in Gaza.
“It was a privilege to speak this evening with my friend Netanyahu,” the Republican House leader said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday (AEDT)
“The House of Representatives stands with Israel and I reaffirmed our strong support.”
The update comes as Mr Johnson is set to grapple with the Biden administration’s request for $US106 billion in emergency funds for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the US border – as conservative Republicans seek to keep funding inside the US.
Rallies against war around the world
Demonstrations will continue to take place around Australia and the world to protest the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The Palestine Action Group will hold a “Stop the Genocide in Gaza” rally in the Sydney CBD on Sunday, the third gathering in as many weeks. Last week’s peaceful demonstration through the city attracted about 30,000 people, the group said on Facebook.
Meanwhile, pro-Palestine protesters are also fathering in Perth, Melbourne, and Hobart.
Meanwhile, a sit-in organised by Jewish Voice for Peace has shut down New York’s Grand Central terminal on Saturday (AEDT).
Hundreds of supporters wore black shirts chanting “ceasefire now” and “let Gaza live” during the demonstration, according to reports.
UN truce vote ‘will go down in infamy’, Israel says
The UN general assembly has voted overwhelmingly for an “immediate, durable, and sustainable humanitarian truce” in the Middle East to deliver aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
A resolution drafted by Jordan received the support of 120 countries – the United States and Israel were among the 14 member nations that voted against it – that condemned all acts of violence aimed at Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including terrorism.
It passed without an amendment from the US and Canada to specifically condemn Hamas and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan condemned the vote for not singling out Hamas in the resolution.
“Israel categorically rejects the General Assembly resolution passed this afternoon that does not even name Hamas — not once! As if this war started on its own!” Mr Erdan wrote on X.
He said the decision would “go down in infamy” for not acknowledging the hostages held in the conflict.
“Israel will continue to defend itself. Israel will do what must be done to eradicate Hamas’ capabilities and bring the hostages home.”
IDF can’t guarantee journalists’ safety in Gaza
The Israel Defence Force has said this week it can’t guarantee the safety of journalists in Gaza, after a request from the Reuters news agency and AFP that media not be targeted in the ongoing conflict.
In response to the request, the IDF reportedly said Hamas was deliberately putting its military operations “in the vicinity of journalists and civilians”, according to Reuters.
“The IDF is targeting all Hamas military activity throughout Gaza,” the IDF said in a letter to Reuters.
“Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee your employees’ safety, and strongly urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists says it has documented the deaths of at least 29 journalists since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Israel: ‘Tonight we are starting payback’
A senior adviser to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is “beefing up the pressure” on Hamas as it escalates air strikes on Gaza.
“Tonight we are starting payback,” Mark Regev said in an interview with MSNBC, per The Guardian.
“When this is over, Gaza will be very different.”
Mr Regev said Israel would continue its strikes until it had destroyed the Hamas “military machine” and dismantled its control of Gaza.
He also addressed reports of a communications blackout across the Gaza Strip, and said such tactics had been “standard operational procedure” when other countries were involved in military operations.
“If we want to hit targets in Gaza. we want to see that their command and control is disrupted, I think that’s good military logic.”
‘Moment of truth’
UN secretary-general Antonio Gueterres posted on X a short time ago to call for a ceasefire, saying “this is a moment of truth”.
“I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of lifesaving supplies at the scale needed,” he said. “Everyone must assume their responsibilities. This is a moment of truth. History will judge us all.”
It comes as a ground invasion of by Israel could be imminent after two days of overnight incursions by tanks into the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.
But around 200 hostages remain in the Palestinian territory with just four freed. Multiple nations, including the US, have pleaded for at the very least “humanitarian pauses” so the millions of Palestinians in Gaza can get access to food, water and international aid.
Israel declared war after 1400 people were killed on October 7 by Hamas in a bloody cross border raid. Subsequent air strikes by Israel on Gaza are now said to have killed as many as 7000 Palestinians, although the numbers have been disputed.
“We will continue to strike in Gaza City and around,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address on Friday.
“In recent hours we have increased the attacks in Gaza. The air force widely attacks underground targets and terrorist infrastructure, very significantly.”
Internet, phones down: ‘Lost contact’
At around the same time as the Israeli military announced it was stepping up operations, communications went down on the Gaza Strip.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has said that it has “completely lost contact” with its staff.
Israel has not commented on the communications outage.
But the Hamas government said Israel “cut communications and most of the internet” across the Gaza Strip.
The government’s media office accused Israel of taking the measure “to perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea,” as heavy strikes hit northern Gaza.
AFP journalists in Gaza confirmed they were only able to communicate in limited areas where they could connect to Israeli networks across the border.
Palestinian telecoms provider Jawwal announced “the total cut of all communication services and internet” in the territory.
“The heavy bombardment in the last hour destroyed all remaining international routes connecting Gaza to the outside world,” Jawwal wrote on its Facebook page.
Global internet monitor NetBlocks reported “a collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip with high impact to Paltel,” Jawwal’s owner, citing live network data.
“The company is the last remaining major operator to supply service as connectivity declines amid ongoing fighting with Israel,” NetBlocks wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Hamas command centre under hospital – Israel
Israel has accused Hamas of housing its main command centre beneath Gaza City’s Al Shifa hospital. It is the biggest hospital in the territory.
It said entrances to the infamous tunnel network lead from the hospital grounds but Hamas has denied the accusations.
Earlier, US fighter jets carried out air strikes against two facilities in Syria.
It follows a number of rocket attacks against US bases in the Middle East. The US has said Iran had a role in the attacks.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the sites were used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and militias backed by Tehran.
He added that the strikes were not directly connected to the situation in Israel and Gaza but rather were “narrowly tailored in self-defence”.
“Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them,” he said.
– with AFP
Originally published as Israel-Hamas war: IDF says fighter jets hit 150 ‘underground targets’ in Gaza overnight
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