Summerize this News Article Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told reporters that the disruption of communications had “totally paralysed” the health network. Residents had no way of calling ambulances and emergency teams were chasing the sounds of artillery barrages and airstrikes to search for people in need.LoadingAn estimated 1700 people remained trapped beneath the rubble, according to the health ministry, which has said it bases its estimates on distress calls it has received.“The bombs were everywhere, the building was shaking,” said Hind al-Khudary, a journalist in central Gaza and one of a few people with mobile phone service. “We can’t reach anyone or contact anyone. I do not know where my family is.”The World Health Organisation appealed to “the humanity in all those who have the power to do so to end the fighting now” in Gaza.“There are more wounded every hour, but ambulances cannot reach them in the communications blackout. Morgues are full. More than half of the dead are women and children,” it said in a statement, as it expressed “grave concerns” about reported bombardment near hospitals in the northern half of Gaza.LoadingIn Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said his government was working to de-escalate the conflict through its talks with the warring parties to release prisoners and hostages. On Saturday, he spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about those efforts, his office said.In a written statement, Guterres said he was surprised by Israel’s escalation.“This situation must be reversed,” he wrote, adding that he was encouraged by an apparent growing consensus among world leaders for a humanitarian ceasefire.Palestinians say this war is robbing them not only of their loved ones but also of the funeral rites that long have offered mourners some dignity and closure in the midst of unbearable grief. Overcrowded cemeteries have compelled families to dig up long-buried bodies and deepen the holes.Across Gaza, terrified civilians were huddling in homes and shelters with food and water supplies running out. Electricity was knocked out by Israel in the early stages of the war.More than 1.4 million people have fled their homes, nearly half crowding into UN schools and shelters, following repeated warnings by the Israeli military that they would be in grave danger if they remained in northern Gaza.The Israeli military renewed such warnings Saturday in leaflets dropped over Gaza. A large number of residents have not evacuated to the south, in part because Israel has also bombarded targets in so-called safe zones where conditions are increasingly dire.Humanitarian workers said the trickle of aid Israel has allowed to enter from Egypt in the past week is a tiny fraction of what is needed. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which runs an extensive network of shelters and schools for nearly half the displaced Gaza residents, has lost contact with most of its staff, spokeswoman Juliette Touma. She said that co-ordinating aid efforts was now “extremely challenging.”The intensified air and ground campaign raised new concerns about dozens of hostages dragged into Gaza on October 7. On Saturday, hundreds of relatives of hostages gathered in a square in downtown Tel Aviv and demanded that the government put the return of their loved ones ahead of Israel’s military objectives.In comments likely to inflame these tensions, the spokesman of the Hamas military wing offered a comprehensive swap of hostages for the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.The spokesman, using the nom de guerre Abu Obeida, said in a televised speech that the price for freeing the hostages, said by Israel to number 229, is “emptying the Zionist prisons of all detainees.”Military officials have said they are trying to both topple Hamas and bring back the hostages, but have not explained how they could obtain both objectives at the same time.The families of some of the hostages released a strongly worded statement suggesting the escalation in Israeli military activity was endangering the lives of the captives. They called on the Israeli government to clearly outline how it would ensure the survival and release of the hostages.Protests in cities worldwideElsewhere, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters turned out in London for a second straight weekend to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. There were also protests in Paris and other cities around the world.People demonstrate in a show of solidarity with Palestinian people in Paris on Saturday.Credit: APMore than 1400 people were slain in Israel during Hamas’ October 7 attack, according to the Israeli government. Among those killed were at least 311 soldiers, according to the military.Palestinian militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel over the past three weeks.The overall number of deaths in Gaza and Israel far exceeds the combined toll of all four previous Israel-Hamas wars, estimated at around 4000.Israel has said it aims to crush Hamas’ rule in Gaza and its ability to threaten Israel, but how Hamas’ defeat will be measured and an invasion’s endgame remain unclear.The conflict has threatened to ignite a wider war across the region. Arab nations – including US allies and ones that have reached peace deals or normalised ties with Israel – have raised increasing alarm over a potential ground invasion.APMore coverage of the Hamas-Israel conflictCascading violence: Tremors from the Hamas attacks and Israel’s response have reached far beyond the border. But what would all-out war in the Middle East look like?The human cost: Hamas’ massacre in Israel has traumatised – and hardened – survivors. And in Gaza, neighbourhoods have become ghost cities.“Hamas metro”: Inside the labyrinthine network of underground tunnels, which the Palestinian militant group has commanded beneath war-ravaged Gaza for 16 years. The covert corridors have long provided essential channels for the movement of weapons and armed combatants.What is Hezbollah?: As fears of the conflict expanding beyond Israel and Hamas steadily rise, all eyes are on the militant group and political party that controls southern Lebanon and has been designated internationally as a terrorist group. How did it form and what does Iran have to do with it?Get a note direct from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here. that meets Google’s requirements for helpful content updates. The Article should be at least 500 words long and should target the following keywords: Israel Defence Forces expand Gaza assault The News Article should include the following: * A well-written introduction that hooks the reader and provides a clear overview of news * A logical structure that makes it easy for readers to follow the argument and understand the points being made. * Subheadings and bullet points to break up the text and make it more visually appealing. The News Article should be written in *easy English* that is *easy to read* and *should be written in human tone and style* and *not look like AI generated*. Follow these guidelines writing this content. * Use natural language and avoid using jargon or technical terms that the average reader may not understand. * Use active voice instead of passive voice. * Use contractions and other informal language where appropriate. * Use humor and other elements of human emotion to engage the reader.
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