The Israeli military said its forces entered Gaza overnight and expanded ground operations with infantry, tanks and artillery. “The forces still remain in the field and continue the war,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said early Saturday. His comments raise the prospect that a long-anticipated sustained Israeli ground incursion could have begun. Israeli aircraft also unleashed a punishing bombardment of Gaza, dropping powerful munitions to destroy underground targets. The Palestinian enclave faced a “total or near total” internet blackout, according to internet monitoring groups, as the World Health Organization said it was impossible to evacuate patients under the bombardment and ambulances were unable to reach the injured in the blackout.
