Israel expanding ground operations in Gaza as internet and mobile go down – live

The Israeli military has said its ground forces are “expanding their activity” in the Gaza Strip tonight, as lines of communication in the enclave have gone down.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army’s spokesman, said aerial attacks had been targeting Hamas tunnels and other targets.

“In addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening,” he said. “The IDF is acting with great force … to achieve the objectives of the war.”

Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive against the Hamas militant group.

Airstrikes have intensified since nightfall and the territory’s internet and mobile communications services collapsed on Friday evening.

Pope Francis has led special Friday evening prayers in St Peter’s Basilica for a world “in a dark hour” and in “great danger” from what he described as the folly of war.

Francis delivered his remarks in the form of a prayer to the Virgin Mary and did not mention by name the conflict that exploded when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October and Israel retaliated by sealing off the Gaza Strip and battering the Palestinian territory with air strikes.

He said he was praying for “especially those countries and regions at war” and he pleaded with Mary to “take the initiative for us, in these times rent by conflicts and laid waste by the fire of arms”.

“This is a dark hour,” Francis said in a subdued voice, in his remarks in the basilica.

The UN secretary-general has appealed for the procedures for inspecting aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip from Egypt through the Rafah crossing to be “adjusted to allow many more trucks to enter Gaza without delay”.

“The humanitarian system in Gaza is facing a total collapse with unimaginable consequences for more than 2 million civilians,” Antonio Guterres said.

The US is leading negotiations with Israel, Egypt and the UN to try and create a sustained delivery mechanism for aid to Gaza, but they are wrangling over procedures for inspecting aid which see each truck offload its cargo at a checkpoint to be inspected for possible arms and ammunition.

“The verification system for the movement of goods through the Rafah crossing must be adjusted to allow many more trucks to enter Gaza without delay,” Mr Guterres said.

Before the conflict about 500 trucks a day were crossing into Gaza, but in recent days, an average of only 12 trucks a day have entered, he said.

Describing the situation in Gaza as “desperate and dramatic” the U.N. chief said the United Nations will not be able to continue delivering assistance inside the enclave “without an immediate and fundamental shift in how aid is going in.”

The United States supports a pause in Israeli military operations in Gaza to get humanitarian aid, fuel and electricity to civilians, White House spokesperson John Kirby has said.

Mr Kirby also said that if getting hostages out of Gaza requires a localised temporary pause, then the United States is in support of that.

“We absolutely believe that that if a pause can be effected to allow for the … release of hostages, then that is something we absolutely would support and we believe Israel should support it,” Mr Kirby said.

“We’ve been having active conversations with them about that.”

British citizens trapped under Israel’s ferocious bombing of Gaza have slammed the “shameful” lack of support from the British government that has failed to push for evacuation or a humanitarian ceasefire.

There are believed to be 200 Britons registered with the UK authorities in the besieged enclave, where food, water, fuel and medical supplies are fast running out.

Among them is Manchester resident Mohammed Ghalayini, who said Israeli air strikes have killed 37 members of his extended family and forced him to be displaced four times.

He was visiting family in Gaza when Israel unleashed its heaviest-ever air raids in retaliation for Hamas’s bloody 7 October attack on southern Israel.

Despite struggling to access food, water, and other supplies the 44-year-old said he has only received one communique from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: a single email 10 days ago.

Governor has helped coordinate evacuation flights.