Israel says its ground forces are "expanding operations" targeting Hamas in Gaza
Huge explosions were seen in the territory, with Israeli warplanes carrying out heavy strikes
Hamas says clashes have taken place in northern Gaza and reports say some Israeli troops and tanks have entered
But military officials are declining to say if this is the start of long-expected ground invasion
Communication networks have gone down in Gaza, meaning residents can't be contacted. Humanitarian agencies have warned the situation is dire
The UN General Assembly called for an immediate humanitarian truce, with 120 states voting for a resolution put forward by Jordan
Israel has been bombing Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people and saw 229 people kidnapped as hostages
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 7,000 people have been killed since Israel's retaliatory bombing began
It's just gone 22:30 local time in the Gaza Strip, and we've just seen several more explosions while watching a live feed of the Strip.
The picture is otherwise very dark, with lots of smoke seen rising from the skyline.
Earlier, the Israeli military said it was "expanding operations tonight".
Image source, AFP
Barbara Plett Usher
US State Department correspondent
The White House is not commenting on the IDF announcement that Israel is expanding its ground operations into Gaza. That’s something only the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) should speak to, spokesman John Kirby says at a press briefing.
“We’re not going to get into the habit of chiming in from the sidelines here on what they’re trying to do on the ground,” he says, adding that he wouldn’t want to say anything that might affect “operational security”.
He says that the US will continue supporting Israel’s military capability, including with munitions. And that Washington has asked Israel about the aims and strategy of its war plan against Hamas - about “how is this going to end” but it was not drawing red lines.
The deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh has told BBC News that Secretary Lloyd Austin attended a national security briefing on Friday morning with the president, although she too would not comment on Israel’s military operations.
She said Washington was “laser-focused" on ensuring Israel had the security assistance it needed, on trying to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza, and on preventing the war from spilling over into a wider conflict.
“Our biggest priority is making sure that our troops are protected in the region,” she said.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres posted on X a short time ago to call for a ceasefire, saying "this is a moment of truth".
He said:
Quote MessageI repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies at the scale needed. Everyone must assume their responsibilities. This is a moment of truth. History will judge us all."
US national security spokesperson John Kirby says the US would support breaks in fighting to help hostages get out of Gaza - and to allow more aid in.
"We would support humanitarian pauses for stuff getting in, as well as for people getting out, and that includes pushing for fuel to get in and for the restoration of electrical power," he's quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Image source, ReutersIsrael's Iron Dome anti-missile system seen from Ashkelon as intercepting rockets are launched from Gaza
Hamas's military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, say the southern Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashdod are being targeted with "intense missile barrages".
They say they are also firing rockets at the city of Ashkelon.
BBC correspondents in Ashkelon and Sderot confirmed that air raid sirens had sounded this evening.
Rockets struck Ashkelon earlier today, without being intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.
Israel has intensified its air strikes in Gaza, saying it is attacking "underground targets".
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said ground forces would expand their operations on Friday evening.
He did not elaborate on exactly what this would mean but the announcement followed two consecutive nights of incursions into Gaza using tanks.
Air strikes in Gaza have intensified, say Israel Defense Forces
Tom Bateman
Reporting from Jerusalem
Currently we can’t get hold of people in Gaza with communications still down.
For example, I sent a WhatsApp message at 18:40 local time (more than three hours ago). It still just has a single tick, meaning it hasn’t been received by the person’s phone.
Mobile phone call attempts just get an unobtainable message.
Messages and calls aren’t going through.
We've asked the Israeli military to comment on the communications outage but so far they haven't responded.
Read more in our full story here.
Mehdi Musawi
BBC Arabic reporter in London
All day I’d been trying to reach journalists and health officials in Gaza, by phone and social media.
I was only able to get short answers by WhatsApp, but eventually got through to the general manager of Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital.
The phone line was very scratchy and I had to call him twice in order to make sense of what he was saying.
By early evening, all lines of communication were down. And by then, live footage from Gaza showed complete darkness save for flashes and fireballs in the distance.
I sent a flurry of messages to the people I’d spoken to earlier, but no answer came, not even a double-tick to confirm receipt.
International charity ActionAid says it has also lost contact with its colleagues in Gaza.
The charity says it is "gravely concerned for their safety and that of all the people of Gaza".
"The blackout isolates the population, making it nearly impossible for them to seek help, share their stories, or maintain contact with loved ones.
"This isolation deepens the suffering of those already enduring a dire humanitarian crisis amidst an increase in the aerial bombardment of civilians," it says in a statement.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society says it has "completely lost contact" with its operations room in the Gaza Strip.
The humanitarian organisation adds in its statement, external: "We are deeply concerned about the ability of our teams to continue providing their emergency medical services, especially since this disruption affects the central emergency number '101' and hinders the arrival of ambulance vehicles to the wounded and injured."
The organisation says it's also worried about the safety of its teams working in the Gaza Strip, and issues a call to the world to "exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to provide immediate protection to innocent civilians, medical facilities and our teams".
Around an hour ago, Paltel - the Palestine Telecommunications Company - put out a statement on social media confirming the "complete interruption of all communication and internet services with the Gaza Strip in light of the ongoing aggression".
Internet monitoring group Netblocks confirmed at around 17:30 BST (16:30 GMT) that network data showed a "collapse in connectivity in the Gaza Strip".
During the latest briefing, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari told residents of Gaza City to seek "safer conditions", as the IDF would "persist" in its attacks on the city and its surroundings.
He made specific reference to the Al Shifa hospital, which he said was being used for "terrorist activities".
Earlier, in a separate briefing, Hagari alleged that Hamas was using the hospital as a shield for underground tunnels and command centres. Hamas has denied this accusation.
Al Shifa is the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital. Thousands of displaced people have been sheltering in Gazan hospitals, including Al Shifa. These hospitals have also been dealing with the wounded from Israel's bombardment campaign.
Image source, .Tom Bateman
Reporting from Jerusalem
Reports suggest intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza by air, heavier than in previous evenings, while all internet and phone communications appear to be out in the territory.
It’s not clear whether or not this is a precursor to any ground offensive; earlier reports suggested that discussions were making progress about a possible ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held in Gaza.
A little earlier, live footage showed rockets being fired from Gaza City. We also saw large explosions on the same feed.
Rockets shown being fired from Gaza City
Hamas has continued to target Israel with rocket attacks while the Israeli military has carried out its bombing campaign in Gaza since the attacks on 7 October.
As we've been reporting, Israel says it's expanding ground operations tonight.
Jeremy Bowen
Reporting from southern Israel
What happens in the hours to come is guesswork. People like myself haven't been able to get into Gaza to report directly.
Clearly, Israeli action on Gaza is intensifying and, clearly, people will be dying.
Israel says it only uses intelligence-based targeting. If they're sending more ground troops, that means the rhythm of war is changing.
More now from the Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari, who was speaking moments ago.
He said: "In recent hours we have increased the attacks in Gaza. The air force widely attacks underground targets and terrorist infrastructure, very significantly.
"In continuation of the offensive activity we carried out in the last few days, the ground forces are expanding the ground activity this evening.
He said the Israel Defense Forces are "working powerfully in all dimensions" to achieve their military goals.
The Israeli military spokesman tells residents of Gaza City to move south, after announcing the expansion of Israel's military operation.
Image source, .Israel has previous told residents to move out of the evacuation area, marked in red in this map
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari says Israel's ground forces are "expanding their operations tonight".
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari is speaking now - we'll let you know what he says.
A BBC team in Ashkelon in southern Israel, which is six miles (10km) from Gaza, says it can hear the thud of explosions.
The team say it's heavier than previous evenings and describe it as "a heavy bombardment and mostly by air".