Israel says its ‘operation is expanding’ against Hamas

Israel’s military operations against Hamas militants in Gaza are “expanding” ahead of an expected ground invasion, according to Israel Defense Forces officials.

“The operation is expanding,” IDF spokesperson Maj. Nir Dinar told POLITICO. Asked if that meant an increase of ground troops in Gaza, Dinar added “there were ground troops in Gaza yesterday.” He wouldn’t elaborate further.

Those remarks followed a Friday announcement by IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, who said “in addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening.”

“The IDF works powerfully in all dimensions in order to achieve the goals of the war,” he continued.

Palestinian telecom providers say the internet is down in Gaza following an uptick in bombardments by Israel, leading some to speculate that Israel is preparing the battlefield for a larger operation against Hamas militants in the enclave it runs.