Heavy Israeli bombing on the northern Gaza Strip

Northern Gaza faced a heavy onslaught of Israeli shelling on Friday evening, described as the most intense since the war began, with Gaza City particularly affected, as revealed by live footage broadcast by AFP and the Palestinian movement Hamas.

In response to this escalation, the Hamas government announced the interruption of communications and internet services in Gaza, while accusing Israel of resorting to these measures to commit massacres.

The Israeli strikes commenced at 7:00 local time and continued for over an hour. The government's media office in Gaza reported, "The Israeli occupation authorities have severed communications and most of the internet completely to commit massacres." 

It further noted that the Israeli army was carrying out "the most intense retaliatory aerial, ground, and naval bombardment since the start of the war on Gaza, including the Al-Shati Camp and all areas in the northern part of the territory."

The Israeli military confirmed to AFP that it is "continuing its strikes in the Gaza Strip," targeting Hamas that holds control over the region.

Israel's official channel, "KAN," reported that these were the "most powerful Israeli strikes" on Gaza since the war's inception, which followed an unprecedented attack by Hamas inside Israeli territory.

In response to the ongoing bombardment, Hamas declared on Friday evening that it had launched "rocket volleys" towards Israel.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, communicated through Telegram, stating that the rocket fire was directed towards the occupied territories as a response to the massacres inflicted on Palestinian civilians.

Israeli media reports mentioned that the rockets were launched in the direction of Tel Aviv, central Israel, and the northern West Bank, which is occupied by the Israeli state.

Loud explosions were heard in the Ramallah area of the West Bank, as observed by a journalist from AFP.


AFP