Israel has launched an expanded ground operation in Gaza, with increased bombardment and artillery fire overnight. The strikes have knocked out communications and created a near-blackout of information, while multiple Hamas commanders have allegedly been killed.

Here are the five key developments this afternoon.

1. Israel’s overnight assault

It intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Friday evening, claiming it struck 150 underground targets including “terror tunnels, underground combat spaces and additional underground infrastructure”.

Hundreds of buildings and houses were destroyed in the blistering air and artillery assault, which a spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defence said had “changed the landscape of northern Gaza”.

The military released grainy images on Saturday showing tank columns moving slowly in open areas of Gaza.

“The forces are still on the ground and are continuing the war,” said the Israeli army spokesman, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, indicating that the next stage has begun in what is expected to evolve into an all-out ground offensive in northern Gaza.

Rear Adm Hagari said two key Hamas military commanders were killed overnight, arguing that Israel was facing a “weakened” enemy. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 377 people had been killed.

2. Communication blackout across Gaza

The bombardment also 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.

Internet access and the phone network have been completely cut, throwing Palestinians into isolation. Electricity had already been knocked out by Israel in the early stages of the war.

“The bombs were everywhere, the building was shaking,” Hind al-Khudary, a journalist in central Gaza and one of the few people with phone service, told the Associated Press. “We can’t reach anyone or contact anyone. I do not know where my family is.”

Residents now have no way of calling ambulances, and the Palestinian Red Crescent said emergency teams were chasing the sounds of artillery barrages and airstrikes to search for people in need.

3. Drones hit Egypt and injure six

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said his country’s sovereignty should be respected after drones were intercepted after entering Egyptian air space on Friday.

Israel said it was the target of the drones, which it blamed on Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi movement.