Gaza has experienced its third total communications outage since the start of the war as Israeli forces continue to encircle Gaza City and divide the besieged coastal strip into north and south. Israeli troops are expected to enter Gaza City within 48 hours. The loss of communications has made it more difficult to convey details about the military offensive. Israeli warplanes have struck two central Gaza refugee camps, resulting in the deaths of at least 53 people and dozens more wounded. Despite U.S. appeals for brief pauses in the offensive to allow aid to reach civilians, Israel has stated that it will press on with its offensive. The Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that over 9,700 Palestinians have been killed in the territory during the war, with that number likely to rise as Israeli troops advance into urban neighborhoods. The airstrikes have targeted areas where Israeli forces had urged Palestinian civilians to seek refuge. There have been reports of civilian casualties and Israel has been criticized for its disproportionate use of force. Israeli forces have found stashes of weapons, including explosives and missile systems, on the ground in Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the situation. Abbas has stated that the Palestinian Authority will only assume control of Gaza as part of a comprehensive political solution to establish an independent state. The war has led to widespread destruction in Gaza, with many residents seeking shelter in U.N.-run facilities. Food, water, and fuel supplies are running out, and tensions in the region continue to escalate, with exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.