Israel has launched a full-scale ground offensive on Gaza City, intensifying bombardments and defying international warnings over worsening humanitarian conditions. The assault began Tuesday on the city’s outskirts, where Israeli airstrikes flattened high-rise buildings and pushed thousands of Palestinians to flee.
“Gaza is burning,” Defense Minister Israel Katz declared, saying the Israel Defense Forces were targeting “terror infrastructures” to secure the release of hostages and defeat Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the campaign a “critical stage” in the war, framing Gaza City as one of Hamas’ last major bastions.
The offensive comes as United Nations officials warned the assault will deepen a humanitarian disaster. Nearly one million people live in and around Gaza City, yet only 40% have evacuated despite repeated Israeli orders, according to the IDF. The UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the operation, urging world leaders to intervene. “It’s absolutely clear that this carnage must stop and it has to stop at once,” he said.
On Tuesday, a UN inquiry concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, alleging civilians were “targeted collectively due to their identity as Palestinians.” Israel rejected the finding as “distorted and false.”
Casualties mounted quickly. Gaza’s health ministry reported at least 93 people killed in northern Gaza alone, with more than 100 deaths across the enclave in a single day. Residents described relentless overnight strikes, with CNN footage showing flattened neighborhoods in Sheikh Radwan. “Fear, fear, it’s all fear,” one man told reporters as families hauled what belongings they could through the rubble.
The UN children’s agency UNICEF warned that an escalation would “multiply children’s suffering exponentially,” noting that 450,000 minors in Gaza City face famine, trauma, and the collapse of health services.
Palestinian Authority officials appealed for U.S. intervention, labeling the offensive a “war crime against humanity.” Despite criticism from global leaders, the Trump administration signaled strong support for Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Jerusalem on Monday, demanded Hamas release 48 remaining hostages, saying the group may only be removed through “a concise military operation.”
Hamas called the assault “an unprecedented barbaric Zionist escalation.” Israeli officials estimate 2,000 to 3,000 militants remain in Gaza City, a tiny fraction of the broader civilian population.
Even Israeli commanders acknowledge the fight may not end with this offensive. “Gaza City is the main stronghold of Hamas at the moment,” an Israeli military official said. “I said main, not last.”
Related Readings:
