Israel escalates bombardment as defence minister says 'Gaza is burning' [View all]
Source: BBC
Israel has heavily bombed Gaza City overnight with unconfirmed reports from the US news site Axios and the Jerusalem Post that the military has now launched its ground offensive to occupy the entire city.
Israeli strikes are also reported in central Gaza, in the direction in which thousands of people are fleeing. Palestinian officials say there are rising numbers of deaths and injuries.
..Early on Tuesday morning, Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, wrote on X, "Gaza is burning" and threatened that Israel, "will not relent and we will not go back - until the completion of the mission."
Local journalists in Gaza say there have been almost constant Israeli air strikes and artillery and gunfire in Gaza City. Homes are said to have been destroyed, with people trapped in the rubble. There has been no official confirmation of a new ground incursion from the Israeli military..
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c749q1245pwo
Israel has launched its long-threatened ground offensive into the densely packed streets of Gaza City, military officials have confirmed.
One Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official said that troops had begun what he called the “main phase” of the offensive, with an overnight advance from the outskirts towards the city centre.
“Last night we began deepening our operations deeper into Gaza City,” the IDF official said. “It’s a gradual thing. It is not a black or white thing. But yesterday was a big step forward … in operations on the ground.”
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Gaza City residents reported a night of intense bombardment before the ground assault was launched. The IDF believes 40% of the estimated 1 million population of Gaza City and its outskirts, have so far left after Israeli evacuation orders. Israel warned those remaining to follow and to flee southwards.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/16/israel-launches-ground-offensive-deep-inside-gaza-city
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