The Israeli army announced Friday evening the expansion of its ground operations in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with an unprecedented Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip.

Aviv Adraee, the Israeli army spokesperson, said: “In recent hours, we have intensified airstrikes in Gaza, and the Air Force is launching a large-scale attack on underground targets and infrastructure, in a very noticeable way.”

Adraee added: “In continuation of the operations that we have carried out in recent days, the ground forces are expanding ground operations this evening,” noting that “the Israeli army is working with the utmost force on all levels in pursuit of the war’s objectives.”

He continued: “We continue to call on the residents of Gaza to head south to the south of the Gaza Valley.”

Palestinian media said that the Gaza Strip is now witnessing the heaviest shelling by land, sea, and air since the start of the war, and Sky News Arabia website reported that there were intense airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling on different areas of the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian media also reported that the Gaza Strip is witnessing “very intense shelling in different areas,” noting that “Gaza has not witnessed such shelling since the start of the aggression,” which led to a complete cut-off of communication and the internet in the Gaza Strip.

In response, resistance factions fired a barrage of rockets at Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, and sirens sounded in central and southern Israel.

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