Israel launches ground offensive in Gaza City against Hamas

JERUSALEM,— Israel launched the main phase of its ground operation against Hamas in Gaza City on Tuesday, intensifying bombardments that residents described as the heaviest since the war began nearly two years ago.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had pushed further into Gaza City, advancing toward its center, and the number of soldiers on the ground would continue to rise in the coming days.

Israeli commanders estimate as many as 3,000 Hamas Islamist fighters remain inside the city.

“Gaza is burning,” Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on the social media platform X. “The IDF strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”

The military again urged civilians to evacuate. Witnesses said long lines of Gazans were heading south and west, traveling by donkey carts, motorized rickshaws, trucks, or on foot.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to back Israel’s decision to abandon ceasefire talks and step up military action.

Speaking in Jerusalem on Monday alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio said the United States preferred a negotiated settlement but could not assume one was possible.

He supported Israel’s demand that Hamas disband, disarm, and release all hostages immediately as the only way to end the conflict.

Both Hamas and Israeli officials estimate that around 350,000 people have left Gaza City, while nearly twice as many remain.

Much of the city had already been heavily damaged in the opening weeks of the conflict in 2023. Despite that destruction, nearly one million residents had returned, living among the ruins.

The current push is forcing almost the entire population southward into what Israel calls a humanitarian zone along the coast.

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry reported Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, accusing senior leaders including Netanyahu of inciting such acts. Israeli officials dismissed the report as “scandalous” and “fake.”

The conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas Islamist fighters crossed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians including children, and seizing 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Israeli authorities also accuse Hamas fighters of carrying out acts of sexual violence, including rape, during the assault. Officials say 20 of the remaining 48 hostages held in Gaza are alive.

Israel states that more than 64,000 people have been killed in Gaza during its military campaign, most of them described by Israeli officials as Hamas militants.

Meanwhile, Egypt signaled growing frustration with Israel. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi referred to Israel as “an enemy” during a summit in Qatar on Monday, marking the first time an Egyptian leader had used such language since diplomatic ties were established in 1979, according to Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service.

Egypt, long a mediator in the conflict, has a peace treaty with Israel dating back more than four decades.

(With files from Reuters)