Israel pounds Hamas enclave — Gaza ground war in full tilt

As Israeli ground troops entered Gaza under cover of a massive air and artillery barrage on Friday evening, opening a new phase in Israel's campaign, the United States will again face off with rivals Russia and China in the United Nations Security Council, or UNSC, today.

This, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Sunday (Manila time) that Israel's war on Hamas would be "long and difficult."

The Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, expanded ground operations inside the besieged Gaza Strip.

"The war in the (Gaza) Strip will be long and difficult, and we are prepared for it," Netanyahu told a news conference after meeting families of hostages held in Gaza since shock Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

"This is the second stage of a war whose goals are clear: Destroy the military and leadership capabilities of Hamas and bring the hostages back home," Netanyahu said. "We decided to expand ground operations unanimously."

The UNSC plans to meet to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, a report, citing unnamed diplomats and without elaborating, said.

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which made no mention of Hamas, by an overwhelming majority, drawing praise from the Islamist terror group and condemnation from Israel.

Nonbinding

The resolution called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all civilians, the protection of civilians and international institutions, and ensuring the safe passage of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

The initiative highlighted the overwhelming international support for the Palestinians amid Israel's military campaign in response to the 7 October Hamas onslaught.

Israel has rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that it is committed to toppling Hamas to prevent another mass assault like the one that took place three weeks ago.

Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said the resolution is non-binding and only serves as a call to its members.

23rd day

Last week, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution put forth by Brazil, backed by Russia, calling for a "humanitarian pause" in the war because the text did not include respect for Israel's right to defend itself.

Russia and China then vetoed a resolution drafted by the US that would have reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense and urged respect for international laws, especially protection of civilians, and called for "humanitarian pauses" to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza.

Fighting in Gaza raged for a 23rd day Sunday after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

Since the 7 October attack, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Israel's relentless retaliatory bombardments have killed more than 8,000 Palestinians, half of them children.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier that Israel was attacking "above the ground and below the ground" in the new phase of the war, alluding to the sprawling network of tunnels Hamas has built under Gaza.

"Last night, the ground in Gaza shook," he said, vowing Israel would "hunt down every terrorist."

"Since early Friday evening, combined combat forces of armor, combat engineers, and infantry have been operating on the ground in the northern Gaza Strip," the military said.

Hamas' armed wing said it was ready to release the hostages if Israel freed all the Palestinians held in its prisons.

"The price to pay for the large number of enemy hostages in our hands is to empty the (Israeli) prisons of all Palestinian prisoners," it said.

Israel had rejected any form of negotiation with Hamas, including regarding the hostages, which it said was a primary goal in the ground operations.

"If the enemy wants to close this file of detainees in one go, we are ready for it. If it wants to do it step-by-step, we are ready for that, too."

Facing increasing anger over the fate of the captives as Israel steps up its war on Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to meet representatives of hostage relatives.

He did not commit to any exchange deal but told the families authorities would "exhaust every option to bring (the hostages) home."

It also warned Gaza City residents the area was now a "battlefield," saying "shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza (City) are not safe" in leaflets dropped by fighter jets that urged them to "immediately" evacuate south.

Move south

Israel Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement that the military was increasing the urgency of the calls it has been making for two weeks for Gaza civilians to move south.

There, he said, "they can receive water, food, and medicine," vowing that on Sunday, "the humanitarian efforts to Gaza, led by Egypt and the United States, will be expanding."

All communications and phone networks were cut across Gaza late Friday, sparking alarm as the Palestinian Red Crescent warned emergency calls were not getting through.

But on Sunday morning, global network monitor Netblocks said connectivity in Gaza was being restored, and Palestinian telecoms provider Jawwal said communication services were gradually resuming.

An AFP staff member in Gaza City confirmed early Sunday that he could use the internet and telephone network, and said he had managed to contact people by phone in southern Gaza.

During the outage, billionaire Elon Musk said his Starlink satellite service would support internet access for "internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza."

Starlink is a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that can provide internet to remote locations or areas where normal communications infrastructure has been disabled.

Since the Russian invasion, the network has become a key battlefield tool for Kyiv.

Lebanon skirmishes

A UN peacekeeper was injured Saturday by shelling in southern Lebanon, the mission's spokesman said, hours after reporting a hit at its headquarters as Israel-Lebanon border skirmishes intensify.

Since Israel's war with Hamas erupted on 7 October, Lebanon's southern border has seen tit-for-tat exchanges between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally.

The cross-border skirmishes have killed at least 58 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally, mostly Hezbollah combatants but also four civilians, including Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah.

At least four people have been killed on the Israeli side, including one civilian.