Tel Aviv (BN24) – The Israeli military said Tuesday it has launched an expanded ground operation in Gaza City, intensifying the conflict in the densely populated territory and warning civilians to evacuate south as airstrikes and shelling shook the region. The campaign has already left at least 34 Palestinians dead, according to hospital officials.
The operation, described by Israeli defense leaders as a decisive push against Hamas, marks a new stage in the nearly yearlong war. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared “Gaza is burning” as Israeli forces advanced from the city’s outskirts toward its center, demolishing towers and targeting what they said were Hamas tunnels and positions.
Residents described a night and morning of relentless bombardment. Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, reported receiving the bodies of 34 people killed in the strikes, alongside dozens of wounded. Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, the hospital’s director, told The Associated Press that “the bombing did not stop for a single moment.”
The military estimated that 350,000 people have fled Gaza City in recent weeks, though the United Nations said at least 220,000 Palestinians had evacuated from northern Gaza in the past month. Before the latest operation, about 1 million people lived in the Gaza City region. Long convoys of cars, trucks, and families on foot crowded Gaza’s coastal road on Tuesday, carrying mattresses, suitcases, and what little people could salvage.
Israeli officials believe between 2,000 and 3,000 Hamas militants remain in Gaza City, with the group continuing to use tunnels and urban cover to resist advances. The military’s stated goal is to control nearly all of the Gaza Strip except for a stretch along the Mediterranean coast.
The offensive has reignited international tensions. A U.N.-commissioned panel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, claims rejected by Jerusalem as “distorted and false.” Egypt, a longtime mediator and the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, escalated its rhetoric, with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi referring to Israel as an “enemy” for the first time since diplomatic ties were established in 1979.
Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages demonstrated outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, pleading for a halt to the military campaign until their loved ones are released. “If he stops at nothing and sends our precious, brave, heroic soldiers to fight while our hostages are being used as human shields — he is not a worthy prime minister,” said Einav Zangauker, whose son remains captive in Gaza.
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251 others. Israel’s retaliation has since killed more than 64,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says women and children account for about half of the dead.
Despite U.S. diplomatic efforts, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Israel and Qatar this week, the prospect of a ceasefire appears remote. “The only thing worse than a war is a protracted one that goes on forever and ever,” Rubio said, warning time was running out for negotiations.
