Israel PM Netanyahu reveals ground operation in Gaza is the second stage of long and difficult war with Hamas

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel's ground operation in Gaza marks the second stage of what he says will be a "long and difficult" war with Hamas.

Speaking in a televised address, Netanyahu confirms Israeli commanders are deployed all over the Gaza Strip as heavy bombing continues.

Reports has revealed that leaflets have been dropped over Gaza City warning residents that the area is now a "battlefield" and they must leave for the south.

It is also reported that civilians in Gaza remain cut off from the outside world, because phone lines and the internet are down for most people.

Meanwhile, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of war crimes with Netanyahu responding angrily by pulling out diplomats and saying the IDF was a moral army.

Israel has been bombing Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks and the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 7,600 people have been killed since the bombing began.

 Source: BBC News