THOUSANDS IN GAZA BREAK INTO AID CENTRES AND TAKE MANY SUPPLIES SAYS THE UN

  Thousands in Gaza have broken into aid depots in a "worrying sign of civil order starting to break down", the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says

1. People took flour and other basic supplies after storming several warehouses and distribution centres in the centre and south of the territory on Saturday, according to UNRWA
2. Meanwhile, phone lines and internet connections are slowly returning after more than a day of almost total communications blackout
3. Connectivity was cut as Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza, and began a large ground operation involving tanks and troops
4. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say warplanes have attacked "over 450 military targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip" over the last day
5. Israel has been bombing Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people and saw 229 people kidnapped as hostages
6. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 8,000 people have been killed since Israel's retaliatory bombing began.
   
   
   

7. A really worrying development though, is the news from the UN Palestinian agency saying that thousands of people have broken opentheir warehouses in Rafah, where they have a large logistical base. There had been some stockpiles of food and hygienic supplies, but a press release from UNRWA says there’s been massive looting at the warehouse.

   On the ground in Gaza, it's very hard to follow exactly what's going on because the Israelis have been very quiet about their operations. While some connectivity and telecommunications have been restored, most of Gaza was cut off from the rest of the world for more than a day.

   We know for sure that Israel has gone in, and we know for sure that this is their ground operation. There's a large Fog of War around it, but this is the grand operation they've been talking about for the last three weeks.

8. A short while ago, the Israeli military gave an update to the media at a televised briefing - let's give you a recap of what was said.

   Speaking in Hebrew, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari explained: "Overnight we increased the entry of IDF forces into the Strip, and they joined the forces already fighting there.

   "We're gradually expanding the ground activities and the extent of our forces in the Gaza Strip.

   "The ground operation is complex and involves risks for our forces too.

   "We will do everything in our power - from the air, sea and ground - to ensure the safety of our forces and to achieve the war's objectives."

   
   
   

9. Airstrikes near Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, reports say

   Late last night, our team in Israel was told by a contact in Gaza that airstrikes had hit close to the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which is the biggest hospital in the Strip. The person had been to the hospital and said people there were "terrified".

   Israel's military has said Hamas's main base of operations is beneath the hospital. Hamas has rejected that claim and some of the doctors working there have called for the hospital to be protected.

   Our source's claim aligns with what our reporter on the ground, Rushdi Abualouf, was hearing from his base in southern Gaza yesterday: people in Gaza City told him of air strikes on roads near the hospital.

   And this morning, the Associated Press reported that Israeli warplanes had carried out strikes overnight near the hospital, citing Gaza City residents.

   We have verified a video that was filmed yesterday from inside the hospital. The footage is too graphic to show. In it, we can see a packed room with many patients on trolleys, including a child with severe injuries.

10. FULL DETAILS AND MUCH MORE AT: Israel Gaza live news: Thousands in Gaza break into aid centres and take supplies, UN says - BBC News