Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Communications are shut off again in Gaza as Israel announces 11 IDF troops were killed fighting Hamas yesterday

Israeli missile ships were deployed in the Red Sea on Wednesday as reinforcements, the military said in a statement, following long-range missile and drone attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthis.

Images disseminated by the military appeared to show Saar-class corvettes patrolling near Eilat port in the Red Sea, which Israel sees as a new front as its war in Gaza draws retaliation from Iran-aligned pro-Hamas forces elsewhere in the region.

The Israeli military said 11 soldiers were killed fighting against Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday, the biggest one-day loss for the armed forces since the terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 300 soldiers and some 1,100 civilians.

Israel’s Army Radio said most of the dead were infantrymen whose vehicle was struck by an anti-armour missile.

All of the 11 soldiers who died yesterday were aged between 19 and 24.

The Gaza Strip was plunged into a communications blackout again today after internet and phone networks were cut.

‘To our good people in the beloved country, we are sorry to announce that communications and internet services have been completely cut off in Gaza,’ the Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) said on X.

Global network monitor Netblocks confirmed that Gaza ‘is in the midst of a new internet blackout with high impact to the last remaining major operator, Paltel.

‘The incident will be experienced as a total loss of telecommunications by most residents,’ it said in a post on X.

Internet and phone networks were completely cut last week but were restored at the weekend.

Humanitarian aid agencies have warned that such blackouts severely disrupt their work in an already dire situation in Gaza.