BURSTThe Israeli military launched its long-planned ground offensive into Gaza City on Tuesday, further escalating the nearly two-year war that has killed thousands as Israel hopes to take control of a key area in the northern part of the enclave.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said its “activity” in Gaza City started and is expected to “expand in line with the current situational assessment.”
“Its aim is to achieve the war’s objectives in Gaza and to enhance the achievements made during combat,” the IDF wrote in a post on social platform X.
Israel has been building up for the incursion in recent weeks, arguing that the takeover is necessary to bar Palestinian militant group Hamas from organizing in the area and launching attacks. The plans have sparked pushback from the international community.
“Gaza is burning. 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,” Israel Katz, the Israeli minister of defense, said Tuesday morning on X. “We will not relent and we will not go back — until the completion of the mission.”
The IDF ordered the full evacuation of residents over the last month, telling residents to go south to a “humanitarian area,” where some Palestinians are already living in tents.
In the lead-up to the offensive, the Israeli military has detonated dozens of high-rises in Gaza, alleging the infrastructure was used by Hamas, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, for military purposes. The Israeli military has also conducted air strikes that have intensified in recent days.
Since the offensive began on Tuesday, at least 30 bodies of people killed have been brought to the city’s Shifa Hospital, Dr. Rami Mhanna, a hospital official, said Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.
Last month, in preparation for the offensive, Israel called up about 60,000 reservists, while another 20,000 had their services extended.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Israel on Monday, where he met with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that the “time is running out” to negotiate an end to the Israel-Hamas war.
Rubio cited President Trump’s wish to negotiate a ceasefire, with talks currently stalled, but added that “we also have to be prepared for the possibility that that’s not going to happen.”