Israeli troops divide Gaza Strip into two; internet cut for third time

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that the Israeli troops have encircled Gaza City and divided the territory into two, cutting internet and phone lines for the third time since the war began

The Israeli troops have encircled the Gaza City and divided the territory into two, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.

Following the attacks on Sunday night, internet and phone lines in the Gaza Strip have been cut again for the third time since the beginning of the Israe-Hamas war. The first Gaza outage lasted for around 36 hours, and the second one for a few hours. Soon after the blackout, the UN Palestinian refugee agency said that they had lost communication with the majority of the UNRWA team members.

A few moments after the blackout, the Israeli army launched an intense bombardment on Gaza City and other nearby zones in the north of the enclave. The power explosions due to bombardment were so powerful they could be heard in Rafah in the far south of the Palestinian territory, reported an AFP journalist present on the scene.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli planes struck two refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, and the air strike killed 53 people and wounded around dozens. The strikes came as Israel said that it would carry on with its offensive to crush the territory's Hamas rulers. 

Israel rejects US push for pause in fighting; another Gaza refugee camp hit 

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in nearly a month of war.

88 UN staffers killed

The United Nations on Monday said that 88 staffers have been killed in Gaza, marking the highest toll ever for UN fatalities recorded in a single conflict. A joint statement from the heads of all major UN agencies stated that the figure represents "the highest number of United Nations fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict".

Over 300 Americans have left Gaza Strip, says US

Over 300 US citizens and their families have been able to leave the Gaza Strip, a White House official said Sunday. Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said that the US was able to safely move more than 300 citizens and their families out of Gaza “through pretty intensive negotiations with all sides relevant to this conflict”.