TWO Bradford MPs have called for an immediate ceasefire following an escalation of Israel's ground operation in Gaza in response to an attack by Hamas earlier this month.

Israel has expanded its ground operation in Gaza, sending in tanks and infantry backed by massive strikes from the air and sea.

The country’s defence minister said “the ground shook in Gaza” and that the war against the territory’s Hamas rulers has entered a new stage.

The bombardment, described by Gaza residents as the most intense of the war, also knocked out most communications.

This largely cut off the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million people from the world while enabling the Israeli military conduct a new stage of fighting.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Bradford West MP Naz Shah said: "What we are seeing is not defence, it is disproportionate attacks on a civilian population, I continue to call for a ceasefire to stop the killings of innocent civilians. We cannot be silent."

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Bradford East MP Imran Hussain said: "Two million people in Gaza have been plunged into darkness. First it was food, water, power and medicine. Now it’s a communications and internet blackout.

"It’s impossible to imagine the horror that families in Gaza are facing right now and we need a ceasefire NOW."

The Israeli military released grainy images on Saturday showing tank columns moving slowly in open areas of Gaza, many apparently near the border, and said warplanes bombed dozens of Hamas tunnels and underground bunkers.

The underground sites are a key target in Israel’s campaign to crush the territory’s ruling group after its bloody incursion in Israel three weeks ago.

“We moved to the next stage in the war,” defence minister Yoav Gallant said in remarks broadcast on Saturday.

“Last evening, the ground shook in Gaza. We attacked above ground and underground. … The instructions to the forces are clear. The campaign will continue until further notice.”

His comments signalled the gradual ramping-up toward what is expected to evolve into an all-out ground offensive in northern Gaza.

Early in the war, Israel had already amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border. Until now, troops had conducted brief nightly ground incursions before returning to Israel.

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza on Saturday rose to just over 7,700 people since October 7, with 377 deaths reported since late Friday, according to the territory’s health ministry.

A majority of those killed have been women and minors, the ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told reporters the disruption of communications has “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.

Some civilians were using their bare hands to pull injured people from the rubble and loading them into personal cars or donkey carts to rush them to the hospital.

Other residents travelled by foot or car to check on their relatives and friends.

Israel says its strikes target Hamas fighters and infrastructure, and that the militants operate from among civilians, putting them in danger.

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.

Aid workers say the trickle of aid Israel has allowed to enter from Egypt in the past week is a tiny fraction of what is needed.

The intensified air and ground campaign also raised new concerns about dozens of hostages dragged into Gaza on October 7.

In 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.