Israel bombs underground tunnels as ground troops move into Gaza

globalnews.ca:

Israel is expanding its ground operation in Gaza with infantry and armored vehicles backed by “massive” strikes from the air and sea.Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday that “the forces are still on the ground and are continuing the war.”Earlier Saturday, the military had released videos showing columns of armored vehicles moving slowly in open sandy areas of Gaza — the first confirmation of ground troops — and said warplanes bombed dozens of Hamas tunnels and underground bunkers.Previously, troops had conducted brief nightly ground incursions before returning to Israel.The first visual confirmation of the presence of ground troops and the heavy bombardment of underground targets signals a further escalation in Israel’s campaign to crush the territory’s ruling militant group after its bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago, and is a new sign that Israel is moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza.Late Friday, Israeli military spokesman Real Adm.

Daniel Hagari said ground forces were “expanding their activity” in Gaza and “acting with great force… to achieve the objectives of the war.” Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border ahead of an expected wider ground offensive.Overnight into Saturday, warplanes struck 150 tunnels and underground bunkers in northern Gaza, the military said. Hamas’ extensive underground installations, many of them located under Gaza City in the north of the territory, are seen as key targets of the offensive.As part of the stepped-up bombardment, Israel also knocked out communications and created a near-blackout of information, largely cutting off the 2.3 million people in besieged Gaza from contact with the outside world.Already plunged into darkness