Summary
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Telephone communications and internet connectivity were gradually returning to the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to reports by Palestinian media. The destruction of phone and internet connections plunged Gaza into a communications blackout on Friday night, creating an information vacuum amid the heaviest aerial bombardment of the war so far. Gaza’s 2.3 million people were already in darkness after most electricity was cut off and fuel for generators ran out. No international aid entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday night that the military had opened a “second stage” in the war, which aimed to “destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and bring the hostages home”. He said: “The battle within the Gaza Strip will be difficult and long; this is our second war of independence.”
Netanyahu met with the families of hostages on Saturday evening following a protest by relatives outside the defence ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. It was unclear what reassurances he could offer as there appears to be no plan to negotiate prisoner exchanges or pause the offensive, which Hamas has said is a condition of any releases. Last week Hamas said approximately 50 hostages died in the bombardment. Relatives fear the recent escalation of Israel’s assault on Gaza will lead to further deaths.
Saudi Arabia’s defense minister Khalid bin Salman is expected to visit Washington on Monday, sources told Axios. The visit had been long-scheduled, but comes as Netanyahu announced the beginning of the “second stage” in the war. US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman spoke on a call on Tuesday, and discussed efforts to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from widening.
Qatar-mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas aimed at de-escalating fighting in Gaza continued on Saturday, a source briefed on the negotiations said. “Talks have not broken down, but are taking place at a ‘much slower pace’ than before the escalation from Friday evening,” a source told Reuters.
UN chief António Guterres met with Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani to discuss the war. “I came to Doha to express to Prime Minister@MBA_AlThani_ our full gratitude, appreciation and support for Qatar’s tireless mediation initiatives, namely for the release of the hostages kept in Gaza,” Guterres tweeted on Saturday.
Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, has ordered the return of Israeli diplomats from Turkey following Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan’s comments at a pro-Palestinian rally in which he called Israel an “occupier.” Cohen tweeted on Saturday: “Given the grave statements coming from Turkey, I have ordered the return of diplomatic representatives there in order to conduct a reevaluation of the relations between Israel and Turkey.”
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and its strike group has moved through the Strait of Gibraltar, putting two American carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, a rare sight in recent years. The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is already in the eastern Mediterranean, part of a buildup of forces as the U.S. supports Israel in its war against Hamas.
Médecins Sans Frontières has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza “to prevent more deaths … and allow desperately needed humanitarian supplies in.” “We have teams on standby ready to send medical supplies and to enter Gaza, as soon as the situation allows it. But if the bombing continues with the current intensity, any effort to increase medical aid will inevitably fall short,” the organization said.
Updated
Telephone and internet connectivity returning gradually to Gaza Strip - reports
Telephone communications and internet connectivity are gradually returning to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian media is reporting.
The destruction of phone and internet connections plunged Gaza into a communications blackout on Friday night, creating an information vacuum amid the heaviest aerial bombardment of the war so far.
Palestinians, aid groups, journalists and civil society organisations said they had lost touch with staff and families.
Already in darkness after most electricity was cut off and fuel for generators ran out, Gaza’s 2.3 million people were thrown into isolation from the rest of the world.
Updated
