Israel moves to 'second stage' in conflict against Hamas

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it expanded a ground operation hitting around 150 underground Hamas targets in the northern Gaza Strip. The military released grainy images Saturday showing tank columns moving slowly in open areas of Gaza and said warplanes bombed dozens of Hamas tunnels and underground bunkers. In a press conference Saturday afternoon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the military has initiated a "second stage" in the conflict against Hamas by deploying ground forces into Gaza and expanding attacks from the ground, air, and sea. The IDF said it killed the head of Hamas' Ariel Array – Asem Abu Rakaba. Israel's bombardment knocked out communications in Gaza, creating a near-blackout of information from the besieged enclave and largely cutting off the territory's 2.3 million people from the outside world, the Associated Press reported earlier on Friday. ------------------------------------- Join our newsletter at https://bit.ly/2q1tepr Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scrippsnews/ Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/scrippsnews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scrippsnews/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scrippsnews