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Israel launched its long-anticipated ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, targeting Hamas militants and prompting widespread international alarm, with the United Nations condemning it as “carnage”.
The Israeli military unleashed a massive bombardment on Gaza City overnight as its troops moved deeper into the territory’s largest urban hub.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said Israel was “determined to go up to the end”.
Israel is reportedly unwilling to engage in meaningful talks aimed at achieving a ceasefire, which could have significant ramifications for the nation, he remarked.
The Israeli military estimated there were 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas militants in central Gaza City, an army official told journalists.
“Over the past 24 hours, following extensive discussions with the political echelon, the IDF (military) has significantly expanded its operation in Gaza City,” said army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.
“We are operating deep in the area, combining ground troops, precision strikes and high-quality intelligence. Our objective is to enhance the strikes on Hamas until its decisive defeat.”
The Israeli government has instructed hundreds of thousands in the primary urban area of the enclave to evacuate, with numerous individuals spending the night outdoors by a hospital in Gaza City.
“The people do not have money to move to the south or even to move internally,” said Youssef Shanaa, who had taken refuge at the hospital.
People spoke of relentless bombing in Gaza City, much of which is already in ruins after nearly two years of Israeli strikes.
Only huge piles of rubble remained of a residential block in the north of the city hit by overnight bombing.
“Why kill children sleeping safely like that, turning them into body parts?” said Abu Abd Zaquout.
“We pulled the children out in pieces.”
The civil defence agency in Gaza reported that at least 44 individuals were killed by Israeli strikes on Tuesday.
‘Gaza is burning’
“Gaza is burning,” Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X. “The IDF strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and IDF soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”
Benjamin Netanyahu stated at the commencement of his court testimony for a corruption case, “We have initiated a major operation in Gaza.”
Hamas called the assault “systematic ethnic cleansing targeting our people in Gaza” in a statement.
US President Donald Trump accused Hamas of using hostages as human shields.
“I’ve heard that Hamas is considering using their usual human shield strategy, and if they choose that path, they will face serious consequences,” he added.
Rubio offers US backing
While the United States wished to see a diplomatic end to the war, “we have to be prepared for the possibility that’s not going to happen”, Rubio said. He endorsed the Israeli demand that Hamas surrender its weapons and free all remaining hostages at once, as the only way to end the war.
Mass displacement
Much of Gaza City was already laid to waste in the early weeks of the war in 2023, but around 1 million Palestinians had returned there to homes among the ruins.
Forcing them out means nearly the entire population of Gaza will now be confined to encampments along the coast further south in what Israel calls a humanitarian area.
Israeli forces had been operating on the outskirts of Gaza City for weeks, edging closer to the centre of the city.
Israel’s political leaders say the offensive is part of a plan to dismantle Hamas as a political and armed organisation. Netanyahu has insisted the group must lay down its weapons and have no future role in Gaza.
The Israeli military has levelled buildings in Gaza City suburbs in recent weeks, including high-rise towers.
The United Nations and countries critical of Israel’s tactics say they amount to forced mass displacement and that conditions in the crowded southern areas where residents are being sent are dire, with little food.
Some Israeli military commanders have also expressed concern about the operation, warning that it could endanger the remaining hostages captured by Hamas during the October 2023 attacks, and may be a “death trap” for troops.
Hostage families gathered outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem late on Monday as news of the intensified strikes in Gaza streamed in.
“Our loved ones in Gaza are being bombarded by the IDF under the orders of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has decided to send IDF soldiers to areas where our loved ones are located, who might be harmed and not return alive,” said Anat Angrest, whose son Matan is among the 20 hostages believed to still be alive.
“He is doing everything to ensure there is no deal and not to bring them back.”
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attack in 2023, in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government.
More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent campaign against Hamas in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people.
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
