A massive wave of airstrikes was carried out ahead of a ground incursion | Israeli ground forces will “expand” their activity in Gaza on Friday night, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has told reporters. Warplanes are currently subjecting the enclave to some of the heaviest bombardment to date ahead of the ground operation. [...] Israeli soldiers have conducted several limited raids into the strip over the last two days but no major offensive has been announced. Hagari’s statement is the clearest sign since the beginning of the conflict on October 7 that an invasion – which the IDF has been preparing to launch for almost three weeks – is imminent. ● In a statement on Friday morning, the IDF said that its tanks and infantry had moved into central Gaza the previous day and destroyed “dozens of terrorist targets, including positions for launching anti-tank missiles and operational headquarters,” as well as Hamas fighters. Israeli forces withdrew after the raid with no casualties, the IDF added.

■ ISRAELI TANKS NOW STORMING INTO GAZA. IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER: "THEY PRESSED THE BUTTON" (Hal Turner)
■ Gaza communications blackout as Israel intensifies attack (The Eletronic Intifada)
■ Gaza in complete blackout as IOF launch most brutal attack so far (Al Mayadeen)
■ Unprecedented Israeli strikes on Gaza amid internet blackout (Palestine Info)
■ Israel-Palestine live: Communications blackout as heaviest strikes hit Gaza (MEE)
■ “Please, if you can hear us, tell the world that we are isolated now in Gaza” (If Americans Knew)
■ Israel’s Onslaught On Gaza Escalates, Dozens Of Civilians Killed (IMEMC News)

"President Joe Biden" has ordered the US military to strike two facilities in eastern Syria | US forces have launched multiple airstrikes on unspecified military installations in Syria, the Pentagon said on Thursday, claiming the operation was a response to recent attacks against illegal American outposts by armed groups allegedly “affiliated” with Iran. [...] Up to 1,000 US troops are currently deployed in Syria, occupying key oil fields and Euphrates River crossings with the support of a Kurdish-led militia. The government in Damascus has repeatedly protested that their presence violates international law.

■ US Launches Strikes in Syria After Targeted Attacks Against American Troops (Sputnik News)

Oct 27, 2023 | 149 Palestinian families lost ten or more of their members in the occupation’s aggression against Gaza. 34% of Gaza’s hospitals are not functioning and 65% of primary health care centers are closed. Among the displaced are 37,000 people suffering from non-communicable diseases, 4,600 pregnant women, and 15% of them suffer from various disabilities. 12 facilities were out of service and 219 educational institutions were destroyed, including 29 UNRWA schools. ■ Oct 26, 2023: Over the past 19 days, the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip has been continuous, destroying much of Gaza’s infrastructure, flattening homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, churches, bakeries, libraries and, most recently, a university. The past three days have seen a rapid escalation in the number of Palestinian casualties, as local sources report that Israeli airstrikes are purposefully targeting groups of Palestinian civilians gathered in what appears to be an attempt to maximize casualties. Here is a summary of the most recent atrocities (compiled by israelpalestinenews.org).

■ Palestinian ambassador to UN: 70% of 7,000 civilian deaths are women and children (PressTV)
■ Updated: Israeli Soldiers Abduct 87 Palestinians, Shoot One, West Bank (IMEMC News)
■ Highlights from the daily update issued by the Government Media Office (Alray Media)
■ Israeli airstrikes have damaged 29,000 buildings in Gaza Strip since Oct. 7: Gov’t (aNews)
■ Israel's History in Quotes (AWIP-10/10/10)

More than 7,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel's attacks on Gaza as calls for a cease-fire are either blocked or ignored by Western countries. | Anadolu correspondents compiled the reactions of many countries to Israel's ongoing attacks on the Palestinian enclave. While answering reporters' questions during a speech at the White House, US President Joe Biden said they could discuss a cease-fire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after all the hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas were released. ● A draft resolution submitted by the US to the UN Security Council on Oct. 25 which was later vetoed said that while "the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7 are strongly condemned," countries have the right to self-defense. It pointed out the necessity of a humanitarian pause in hostilities instead of a cease-fire but noted that sustainable aid should be provided to Gaza. ● Draft resolutions submitted by Russia to the Security Council on Oct. 16 and 25 on the immediate declaration of a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza were vetoed by the US.

■ World is failing Gaza – UN (RT.com)
■ UN Arab Group proposes draft resolution for Gaza humanitarian truce (Al Mayadeen)
■ Erdoğan to West: "West burries its head in the sand when Muslim blood shed" (aNews)