Israel at war: What happened on days 21-22?

The Israel Defense Forces have entered the Gaza Strip and are operating on the ground with support from troops in the air and at sea, Israel's political and military leadership said Saturday night.

"Last night, additional ground forces entered Gaza, marking the beginning of the second stage of the war, whose goal is to destroy the military and political capabilities of Hamas and to bring our kidnapped citizens back," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an evening briefing. 

"We are only at the beginning of the road. The war will be tough and long," the prime minister said. But he stressed, "We are prepared for it. This is our second War of Independence. This is our mission, our purpose in life, and together we will prevail."

Netanyahu said that not only do "the people and the leadership stand behind our soldiers," but also the international community is rooting for Israel. 

"Our partners understand that if Israel doesn't win, they will be next," he said. "Many around the world understand well that Israel is not only fighting its war but a war for all of humanity, a war of humanity against barbarism."

A dog was killed by a rocket that was fired by Hamas in the Bedouin town of Abu Talul in southern Israel on Saturday.

This is a developing story.

Egypt said on Saturday that "Israeli obstacles" are impeding the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.

"It is unfortunate that the process of transporting aid to the Gaza Strip faces major logistical problems imposed by the Israeli side," an Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.

Hamas official Ghazi Hamad on Saturday called for an immediate implementation of the United Nations' General Assembly decision to allow humanitarian relief into Gaza, warning of a disaster as Israel widened its air and ground attacks overnight.

"We consider the decision a victory for our Palestinian people, and we demand that this aid piled up on the Egyptian side be quickly sent and distributed to all areas and hospitals in Gaza Strip," Hamad said in a news conference in Beirut.

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly called for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas and demanded aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip and protection of civilians. The resolution, drafted by Arab states, is not binding but carries political weight.

The death toll in Gaza climbed to 7,650 dead and 19,450 injured since Israel's bombardment on the Gaza Strip began three weeks ago, according to a daily report released on Saturday by the Hamas-run health ministry.

The "ground shook in Gaza last night," Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday as he warned the IDF "entered a new stage in the conflict...the operation will continue until new orders are given." The IDF has entered Gaza IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said Saturday morning. 

The defense minister held an operational situation assessment with senior defense establishment officials. The discussion was centered on military operations, the hostage situation, and humanitarian concerns. 

“I completed a situation assessment. Last night we accomplished [completed] a phase in the war. We will continue to be strong and precise. And hunt down every terrorist.”

Gallant directed the officials to continue strikes in Gaza targeting Hamas terrorist positions.

Smoke rises during Israeli airstrikes, in the Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on October 28, 2023 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

The United Nations human rights chief on Saturday warned of "possibly catastrophic consequences" of large-scale ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where thousands have already died in Israeli air strikes.

"Given the manner in which military operations have been conducted until now, in the context of the 56-year-old occupation, I am raising alarm about the possibly catastrophic consequences of large-scale ground operations in Gaza and the potential for thousands more civilians to die," Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement.

"Continued violence is not the answer."

Volker also called on the warring parties and all other states with influence in the region "to do all in their power to de-escalate this conflict."

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul that Israel was an occupier, and repeated his stance about Hamas not being a terrorist organization.

"I reiterate that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. Israel was very offended by this. (...) Israel is an occupier, Erdogan speaks clearly because Turkey does not owe you anything," he told hundreds of thousands of supporters.

Elon Musk stated that the SpaceX-owned satellite internet constellation, Starlink, will support internet connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.

"Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza. [ComStar]," Musk Wrote.

Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.

[ComStar]

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2023

Musk, who had just met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, made this statement in response to a post by US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where she wrote that "Cutting off all communication to a population of 2.2 million is unacceptable. Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian efforts, and innocents are all endangered.

A group of Israeli cyberhackers claimed over the weekend that they had hacked into the main project management system for oil infrastructure in Iran.

According to WeRedEvils, which has been operating in a non-official capacity since the beginning of Operation Swords of Iron, the hacked system is responsible for supplying fuel and oil to all of Iran.

"We managed to get our hands on vital and sensitive software that we will not go into detail about here, we are sure that Iran already understands the extent of the damage it currently has. As we know and have seen in the past such rigs and reactors in certain cases can cause mass destruction in the event of internal leaks or overheating," the group wrote on its Telegram channel.

הצלחנו לפרוץ בימים האחרונים אחרי הרבה מאוד עבודה ומודיעין ובדיקות למערכת הראשית של ניהול פרוייקטים של מערכות נפט באיראן שאחראית על אספקת דלק ונפט לכל איראן והצלחנו לשים יד על תוכנות חיוניות ורגישות שלא נפרט לגביהם פה, אנחנו בטוחים שאיראן כבר מבינה את היקף הנזקים שיש לה כרגע.
וכפי…

— WeRedEvils🥷 (@WeRedEvils) October 27, 2023

The group noted that alongside the published files - there are additional files in their possession.