IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced at a briefing on Friday evening that Israeli ground forces are "expanding their operation tonight."
An Israeli Defense Forces spokesman also said that the IDF had stepped up its air strikes in Gaza "in a very significant way," AFP quoted.
This actually confirms reports from the ground – eyewitnesses say they hear very powerful explosions in the Gaza City area, mostly from the air.
"We will continue to carry out strikes in and around Gaza City," Rear Admiral Hagari added.
It is noted that the Internet and communications have been cut off throughout Gaza, AFP reports, citing Hamas-controlled authorities.
The Netblocks service (which is independent of Hamas) also reports a sharp drop in the number of Internet connections in Gaza, Reuters reports.
Netblocks, as reported by Reuters, correlates the sharp decline in the number of Internet connections in Gaza with reports of Israeli bombing.
Also, in the last minutes, the Palestinian mobile operator Jawwal Mobile announced that there is no mobile communication and Internet in Gaza due to heavy bombardment, Reuters reports.
Daniel Hagari spoke about the current phase of the operation: "In recent hours, we have stepped up attacks in Gaza. The air force is attacking underground targets and terrorist infrastructure on a large scale, very significantly."
"Continuing the offensive that we have been conducting over the past few days, tonight the ground forces are expanding their operations on the ground," Hagari continued.
According to him, the IDF is "working hard in all dimensions."
He once again called on the population of the northern part of the Gaza Strip, in particular Gaza City (see previous post for a map), to move south.
The Palestinians say that the south is not much safer than the north, and there is practically nowhere to stay.