Israeli military divides Gaza Strip into two; says now there is 'north Gaza and south Gaza'

The Israeli military has said that it has divided Gaza Strip into two and encircled the city. Strong explosions were also reported in northern Gaza after nightfall. The military called it a significant stage in Israel’s war against Hamas that attacked the country on October 7, killing 1,400 people. 

An Israeli army spokesperson said, “Today, there is north Gaza and south Gaza,” as reported by Al Jazeera. Israeli media has said that the troops expect to enter Gaza City within 48 hours.  

Details of the military offensive are a little hard to come by considering the connectivity collapse across Gaza. UN Palestinian refugee agency spokesperson Juliette Touma told Associated Press that they have lost communication with the vast majority of UNRWA team members. 

Meanwhile, an Israel military spokesperson told CNN on Sunday that they stopped firing in northern Gaza for several hours two days in a row to create a safe passage for civilians to move to the south. 

"Yesterday and today, for many hours with prior notice and warning, we facilitated, we stopped firing in certain areas of northern Gaza, which is the main combat area, and we called on Palestinians to move south," Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said.

Nevertheless, Israeli warplanes struck two central Gaza refugee camps killing at least 53 people and wounding dozens. 

However, the Palestinian health ministry has said that 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in the war that has lasted for a month now, including 4,000 children. As Israeli troops advance into dense, urban neighbourhoods, the death toll is expected to spike. 

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah said that it has responded to an Israeli strike that killed three children and their grandmother on Sunday, by firing a barrage of grad rockets in northern Israel. 

Hezbollah has said that it would never tolerate attacks on civilians and its response would be firm and strong. 

In a statement, Hezbollah said it would never tolerate attacks on civilians and its response would be "firm and strong".

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the frontier since the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel went to war on October 7. 

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