Long queues of cars and trucks piled with mattresses and belongings streamed down Gaza’s coastal road on Tuesday as thousands fled the city, hours after Israel announced the “main phase” of its ground offensive to seize full control of Gaza City.
The Israeli military said troops were pushing from the city’s outskirts towards its centre, while heavy bombardment battered the area overnight and into the morning. Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that “Gaza is burning” as the operation intensified.
An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, around 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas militants remain inside Gaza City, along with a network of tunnels still in use.
The escalation comes nearly two years into the conflict, making prospects for a ceasefire appear increasingly distant.
US President Donald Trump warned Hamas against using hostages as human shields during the assault. “We’ll wait to hear what happens, because I hear Hamas is trying to use the old human shield deal, and if they do that they’re going to be in big trouble,” Trump told reporters.
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Tuesday accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, saying top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited such acts.
Also Read : India backs Qatar at UN
The commission cited mass killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and even the destruction of a fertility clinic as examples.
Israel rejected the findings as “scandalous” and “fake,” accusing the commission of acting as “Hamas proxies.”
By midday, Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital reported receiving 34 bodies from the strikes. “A very tough night in Gaza. The bombing did not stop for a single moment,” said Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the hospital’s director.
In Israel, families of hostages still held in Gaza rallied outside Netanyahu’s residence, urging him to halt the offensive. “I have one interest — for this country to wake up and bring back my child along with 47 other hostages, both living and deceased, and to bring our soldiers home,” said Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is in captivity.
Meanwhile, Israel confirmed it had launched a strike on Yemen’s Huthi-controlled Hodeida port, targeting what it described as infrastructure used by the Iran-backed rebels.
The war erupted after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault killed 1,200 people in Israel and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials, while a global hunger monitor warns that parts of the territory are suffering from famine.
Follow us
