Jerusalem, Nov 16 (AP) A dire fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip has shut down all internet and phone networks, the main Palestinian telecom provider said Thursday, effectively cutting off the besieged territory from the outside world.

And in a signal that Israel's ground invasion is about to expand in the south, Palestinians in parts of southern Gaza said they received evacuation notices on Thursday.

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Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people are crowded into the south, including hundreds of thousands who heeded Israel's calls to evacuate the north to get out of the way of its offensive. Residents say bread is scarce and supermarket shelves are bare. Central electricity and running water have been out for weeks.

More than 11,200 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people are reported missing.

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Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas after the militant group launched its October 7 incursion. Some 1,200 people have died in Israel, mostly during the initial attack, and around 240 were taken captive by militants.

WORLD MUST CONVINCE ISRAEL TO LET FUEL INTO GAZA, TELECOM CHIEF SAYS

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The general manager of Palestine Telecommunications Company, Paltel, said he has urged international bodies to persuade Israel to allow fuel to enter Gaza in order to restore phone and internet to the besieged enclave.

“We asked all international bodies to intervene with Israel in order to allow the entry of fuel,” Abdulmajeed Melhem told The Associated Press.

Earlier Thursday, Paltel announced that all communication services — landlines, mobile phones and internet connections — were down due to a lack of fuel.

“Since the outbreak of the war, there has been no electricity, therefore we have relied on alternative sources to operate the generators,” Melhem said. “If they (Israel) allow the entry of fuel, this problem will be solved.”

Until this week, Israel had completely prohibited fuel from going in to Gaza, fearing it could be commandeered by Hamas. But on Wednesday the Israeli government allowed the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to receive 23,000 litres (6,076 gallons) of fuel, but under the restriction that it be used only for vehicles delivering aid.

US SAYS IT'S LIKELY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ISRAEL TO TOTALLY ELIMINATE HAMAS

WASHINGTON — The White House said it believes Israel can dramatically reduce the threat from Hamas, but that eliminating the group and its ideology is likely impossible.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby pointed to the US efforts to disrupt al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, a day after Biden said Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza would only end once the militant group was no longer a threat.

“What we have learned through our own experiences, that that military and other means you can absolutely have a significant impact on terrorist groups ability to resource itself, to train fighters, to recruit fighters, to plan to execute attacks,” Kirby told reporters. “And look at the shadow of itself that ISIS is right now, look at the shadow of itself al-Qaida is right now.”

“It doesn't mean that the ideology withers away and die,” Kirby added.

ALL GAZA'S COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES ARE DOWN DUE TO LACK OF FUEL, TELECOM SAYS

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — All communications services are down across the Gaza Strip due to lack of fuel, Palestinian telecoms provider Paltel said on Thursday, cutting off the besieged territory from the outside world.

Paltel says the landline connection, mobile network and internet connection in Gaza have all dropped.

UN AGENCIES, HUMANITARIAN GROUPS OBJECT TO GAZA SAFE ZONE UNLESS ALL SIDES AGREE

GENEVA — The heads of nearly 20 UN agencies and international humanitarian groups are speaking out against the creation of a possible “safe zone” in Gaza unless all sides agree and the right conditions for one are established.

The call comes as the Israeli army has presented an area in southern Gaza called Muwasi, which is only a couple of square kilometres in size, as a safe zone. It would not be targeted by airstrikes and could be a destination for humanitarian aid.

“Under the prevalent conditions, proposals to unilaterally create “safe zones” in Gaza risk creating harm for civilians, including large-scale loss of life, and must be rejected,” said the heads of the UN health, migration, refugee, humanitarian aid and children's agencies, and groups including Mercy Corps, Save the Children and Care International.

The army has not provided details about how some 2 million people in Gaza would fit into such a small area, and agencies have pushed back against the idea. Meanwhile, army leaflets dropped in southern Gaza have urged people to move.

“Without the right conditions, concentrating civilians in such zones in the context of active hostilities can raise the risk of attack and additional harm,” the signatories said. “No safe zone' is truly safe when it is declared unilaterally or enforced by the presence of armed forces.”

The 18 organisations noted the “mass displacement” already of some 1.6 million people in Gaza.

HEZBOLLAH SAYS IT FIRED ON ISRAEL IN 4 CROSS-BORDER ATTACKS

BEIRUT -- Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group said it fired at Israel in four cross-border attacks Thursday.

Israel said it had identified launches from Lebanon toward two Israeli military posts near Yiftah and Metula. Farming communities in the north were evacuated.

Israel retaliated by heavily shelling Lebanese territory and striking the militant sites where the attacks came from.

The military said no one was injured on the Israeli side. Lebanese casualties were unclear.

FRIENDS, FAMILY OF HAMAS HOSTAGES MARCH TOWARD JERUSALEM

GEZER, Israel — Hundreds of Israelis, including friends and family members of some 240 people held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip marched toward Jerusalem on Thursday. The walk aims to pressure the authorities to secure the release of the hostages.

The marchers camped out in Gezer national park, halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem before continuing with their walk. Many hoisted Israeli flags and carried posters with the images of the hostages.

“The first must, in this war, is to bring them home,” said march participant Nilli Getter.

The protest march originally began Nov. 14 and relatives gathered in Tel Aviv to begin their journey, which is due to finish in Jerusalem. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)