In a significant development in the ongoing conflict, Israel's military has announced that it has successfully divided the besieged coastal strip of Gaza and encircled Gaza City. This comes as Gaza experiences its third total communications outage since the start of the war, causing further complications in conveying details of the military offensive.

Israeli army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, stated on Sunday that there is now a distinction between north Gaza and south Gaza, marking a significant stage in Israel's war against Hamas. Israeli media reports suggest that troops are expected to enter Gaza City within the next 48 hours. The nightfall brought strong explosions in northern Gaza.

However, the collapse in connectivity across Gaza, confirmed by the Palestinian telecom company Paltel and internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org, has severely hindered communication efforts. Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), stated that they have lost contact with the majority of their team members. This outage follows two previous incidents, with the first lasting 36 hours and the second only a few hours.

Tragically, earlier on Sunday, Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on two central Gaza refugee camps. Health officials have reported that at least 53 people were killed, while dozens more were wounded. The Palestinian health ministry disclosed that over 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in nearly a month of war, with more than 4,000 of them being children. As Israeli troops advance into densely populated areas, this death toll is expected to rise.

In one of the airstrikes, the Maghazi refugee camp was targeted, resulting in the death of at least 40 people and leaving 34 others injured. The camp had been designated by the Israeli military as a safe zone for Palestinian civilians seeking refuge. Another strike hit a house near a school in the Bureji refugee camp, causing the death of at least 13 individuals. Al-Aqsa Hospital staff reported the casualties.

Despite appeals and demonstrations from around the world, Israel has continued its bombardment across Gaza. Critics argue that the Israeli strikes often result in a disproportionate number of civilian casualties.

As the conflict persists, the international community continues to call for an end to the violence and for urgent humanitarian aid to reach the desperate civilians caught in the crossfire.