The Government Information Office in Gaza announced today, Friday, the interruption of communications and the Internet in the Gaza Strip, while Israel confirmed the expansion of its ground operations tonight amid intense and unprecedented bombardment, the most violent since the start of the aggression on the seventh of this month.

The office said, "The occupation army cut off communications and most of the entire Internet to commit massacres," adding that it was carrying out "bloody retaliatory air, ground, and sea bombardment, the most violent since the start of the war on Gaza City, the Beach Camp, and all areas of the northern Gaza Strip."

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that Israeli army fighter jets were launching intense and unprecedented attacks throughout the Gaza Strip. He also said that the occupation authorities completely cut off communications from the Gaza Strip.

The media office confirmed this, accusing Israel of cutting off communications in preparation for “committing more massacres” away from the eyes of the world.

The Palestinian Al-Aqsa Channel reported that the occupation army is intensifying its air, sea and ground bombardment on all areas of Gaza in an unprecedented manner, and explained that this comes in conjunction with the complete severing of communications in the Strip.

The NetBlox Observatory, which monitors Internet access, said on Friday that Internet connectivity in the Gaza Strip had collapsed.

It added, "Direct data shows the collapse of network connectivity in the Gaza Strip amid reports of heavy bombing." On the other hand, occupation army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced that the army "will expand its ground operations" this Friday evening in the Gaza Strip, and said that this comes as a result of "a series of Strikes (launched by the army) in recent days,” referring to the ongoing aggression that has left 7,326 martyrs since the seventh of this month.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the martyrs included 3,038 children, in addition to 1,726 women. It also announced that 18,976 were injured with various injuries and that it had received 1,650 reports of missing persons, including 940 children still under the rubble. The Ministry indicated that Israeli violations against the health system led to the martyrdom of 104. Of medical personnel, in addition to 25 ambulances being destroyed and out of service.

This comes as the Israeli raids have continued for 3 weeks, and today, Friday, more than 30 Palestinians were martyred and dozens injured in various areas in the northern Gaza Strip. The occupation fighters continued to bomb homes and destroy them over the heads of their residents, which led to a large number of martyrs and widespread destruction in the targeted areas.

Reuters quoted the World Health Organization as saying that its estimates indicate that a thousand people are still under the rubble in the Gaza Strip. The organization added, in a press conference with United Nations organizations in Geneva, that it had obtained a list from the Palestinian Ministry of Health with the names of 6,740 martyrs in Gaza, before... The toll, which rose to 7,326 martyrs, is being revised.

For his part, the United Nations Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs said that the needs in Gaza far exceed the aid that has arrived, adding that the sector needs 40 trucks of food per day.

He said that civilians in Gaza were being subjected to continuous bombardment and that the violence must end, calling for the unconditional release of all detained civilians.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies