The taking of the territory has begun with no ceasefire in sight
• Israel-Hamas war: live updates
The heavy fog that cloaked Gaza’s agony on the morning after Israeli troops arrived was burned away by the sun – only to be replaced by the smoke of hundreds of bombs, and between the blasts, there was a new sound: machine gun fire.
The sporadic rattle coming from the northern town of Beit Hanoun could be heard from a hillside five kilometres away, across the border in Sderot, audible proof that the Israeli troops who crossed into Gaza on Friday night were still there on Saturday. The taking of Gaza territory had begun.
