ISRAEL has told all residents of northern Gaza to “temporarily relocate” as it proceeds to expand its ground operation.

In an “urgent military advisory” from the Israel Defense Forces released on Saturday, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate south.

“This is a temporary measure. Moving back to northern Gaza will be possible once the intense hostilities end.”

The IDF said it will eliminate Hamas militants with “precision and intensity”.

However, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the death toll for civilians in the country is already in the thousands and continues to rise as the Israeli military launches further air strikes.

Earlier on Saturday, the military had released videos showing columns of armoured vehicles moving slowly in open sandy areas of Gaza, the first visual confirmation of ground troops.

Previously, troops had conducted brief nightly ground incursions before returning to Israel.

The move is a further escalation in Israel’s campaign to crush the territory’s ruling militant group Hamas after its bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago and a new sign that Israel is moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza.

Late on Friday, Hagari had said ground forces were “expanding their activity” in Gaza and “acting with great force to achieve the objectives of the war”.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 377 people have been killed since Israel expanded its large ground offensive on Friday evening.

Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border.

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Overnight into Saturday, warplanes struck 150 tunnels and underground bunkers in northern Gaza, the military said.

Hamas’s extensive underground installations, many of them located under Gaza City in the north of the territory, are seen as key targets of the offensive.

As part of the stepped-up bombardment, Israel also knocked out communications and created a near-blackout of information, largely cutting off the 2.3 million people in besieged Gaza from contact with the outside world.

Already plunged into darkness after most electricity was cut off weeks ago, Palestinians were thrown into isolation, huddling in homes and shelters with food and water supplies running out.

Attempts to reach Gaza residents by phone were largely unsuccessful early on Saturday.

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Explosions from continuous airstrikes lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours after nightfall on Friday.

Palestinian telecom provider Paltel said the bombardment caused “complete disruption” of internet, cellular and landline services.

The cut-off meant that casualties from strikes and details of ground incursions could not immediately be known. Some satellite phones continued to function.

Relatives outside Gaza panicked after their messaging chats with families inside suddenly went dead and calls stopped going through.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said he had been unable to contact his parents-in-law, who remain trapped in Gaza.