A look at the top developments from Israel’s war on Gaza:

1. The Israeli military said on Saturday that it has expanded its ground operation in Gaza, indicating that it is moving closer to an all-out invasion, reported the Associated Press. “The IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] is acting with great force...to achieve the objectives of the war,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the military’s chief spokesperson. Arguing that Israel has “weakened” its enemy, he said that two more key Hamas military commanders were killed overnight. Among those killed was the head of Hamas’ aerial unit, Asem Abu Rakaba.

Hamas is a Palestinian militant group that led an incursion into Israel on October 7. The attack resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 Israelis. Soon after, Israel announced a siege of the Gaza Strip. The relentless Israeli offensive since then has killed 7,326 people, including over 3,000 children, as per Gaza’s health ministry.

2. Hamas on Saturday said that it was ready to confront Israeli attacks with “full force”, reported Reuters. The armed wing of the group, the Al-Qassam brigades, said that its fighters were clashing with Israeli troops in Gaza’s northeastern town of Beit Hanoun and the central area of Al-Bureij. Meanwhile, Hamas officials visiting Russia were quoted as saying by media in Moscow that they could not release any of the hostages until Israel agreed to a ceasefire. A Hamas official reportedly said that Hamas did not view its captives as Russian, French or American. “All those captured, for us, are Israelis, although there is an appeal to their original citizenship in the hope this will save them,” he said.

3. Israel has knocked out internet and communication services in Gaza, cutting off 2.3 million people from contact with each other as well as the world. Paltel, the Palestinian telecom provider, said that the bombings have completely disrupted the internet as well as telecom services. Some satellite phones, however, are continuing to function. Due to this, the World Health Organisation and other aid agencies have said that it has become impossible for them to contact their staff and for ambulances to reach the injured. “Our emergency line is down so people are literally not able to call an ambulance,” said Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that without access to information in a communication blackout, people do not know where to go for safety.

4. As Gaza runs out of fuel, food, water and electricity, doctors in the largest hospital in the besieged territory said that conditions have reached catastrophic levels. With hospital grounds overcrowded, they said that they are struggling to maintain hygiene and sanitation. Hospitals in Gaza have been sheltering thousands of civilians forced to flee their homes. “We have noticed an increase in premature birth cases,” said Dr Nasser Bulbul, head of the neonatal unit at the Al-Shifa Hospital, according to AP. “We had to perform a premature delivery of the fetus from the mother’s womb while she was dying.”

5. India on Friday abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas. The resolution, which also sought a continuous supply of aid to civilians in Gaza, was adopted with 120 votes in favour, 14 against and 45 abstentions. Besides India, those who abstained include Australia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Sweden, Italy and Japan. The United States, Israel, Hungary and Austria were among those that voted against the resolution.