Military ramped up airstrikes in Gaza Strip, ground forces will expand activity tonight: IDF

Tel Aviv [Israel], October 28 : Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military has ramped up airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the past few hours and will expand activity tonight, The Times of Israel reported.
He said, "The Air Force is striking underground targets very significantly," adding that ground forces will "expand" their activity tonight. For the past two days, IDF infantry forces and tanks have carried out limited raids into the Gaza Strip.
According to Hagari, the IDF will continue to strike Gaza City and surrounding regions in northern Gaza. He renewed his call for Palestinians to relocate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, according to The Times of Israel report.
Hagari said, "We are prepared to defend in all arenas. We are acting in order to protect the security interests of the State of Israel."
Palestinian media outlets report heavy Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, particularly in its north. Visuals from the region show plumes of smoke and fireballs above Gaza City, according to The Times of Israel report.
NetStream, a primary internet provider in the Gaza Strip, has stopped providing services, the global internet monitor NetBlocks announced in a post shared on X, The Jerusalem Post reported.
In a post shared on X, NetBlocks wrote, "Confirmed: Real-time network data show that NetStream, one of the last remaining internet providers in Gaza, has collapsed days after the operator notified subscribers that service would end due to a severe shortage of fuel supplies."
The chart posted by the internet monitor shows network connectivity in Palestine started to rapidly deteriorate on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, according to The Jerusalem Post report.
Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari Friday said that the Hamas terror group's main base of operations is under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, The Times of Israel reported.
In a briefing for reporters, Hagari said that Hamas has many underground complexes under Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, which they are using to direct attacks against Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also levelled similar allegations against Hamas.
"Hamas-ISIS is sick. They turn hospitals into headquarters for their terror. We just released intelligence proving it," posted Netanyahu on X.
Hagari also said, "We have concrete evidence that hundreds of terrorists flooded into the hospital to hide there after the massacres of October 7."
He said that Israel has intelligence that there are many tunnels leading to the underground base from outside the hospital so that Hamas officials do not need to enter the hospital to reach it.
Hagari added that there is also an entrance to the underground complex from within one of the wards, The Times of Israel reported.
"Hamas terrorists operate inside and under Shifa hospital -- and other hospitals in Gaza -- with a network of terror tunnels," he said, adding, "Shifa is not the only hospital -- it is one of many. Hamas's use of hospitals is systematic."
In addition, the IDF alleged that Hamas' internal security has a command centre inside Shifa Hospital, from which it directs rocket fire on Israel and stores weapons. Hagari accused Hamas of using the hospital, with 1,500 beds and some 4,000 staff, as human shields.
"Hamas uses Shifa hospital as a shield for Hamas terror infrastructure," Hagari said, adding, "Hamas wages war from hospitals. By operating from these hospitals, Hamas not only endangers the lives of Israeli civilians; but also exploits innocent Gazan civilians. Hamas terrorists operate inside hospitals precisely because they know that the IDF distinguishes between terrorists and civilians."
He also said that the hospital's energy infrastructure is also used by Hamas's underground base.
He added the information on Hamas' use of the hospital is based on several intelligence sources collected by the Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet security agency.
He said that the intel had already been provided to allies. He added, "When medical facilities are used for terror purposes, they are liable to lose their protection from attack in accordance with international law."
Meanwhile, a major rocket barrage was fired towards Israel's south and centre from Gaza. Sirens have been sounded in Ramat Gan, Modi'in, Rishon Lezion, Holon, Ashdod, Ashkelon and other areas, The Times of Israel reported. So far, there have been no reports of impacts.