Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared that “Gaza is burning” after the IDF conducted intensive overnight airstrikes on Gaza City.
Katz also said that the Jewish state “will not relent” until Hamas is defeated.
An IDF spokesperson said forces have ‘begun dismantling Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City’ with residents warned ‘remaining endangers you’
His comments came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepared to travel to Qatar, where he planned to meet with officials there still incensed over Israel’s strike last week.
RT reports: Israel has launched a ground offensive in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday.
Speaking at the opening session of his corruption trial, Netanyahu asked to be excused from testimony due to the “important things happening,” declaring that the IDF “has begun an intensive operation in Gaza City.”
The military later confirmed that two IDF divisions, numbering tens of thousands of troops, had begun expanded ground operations overnight as the army entered a “new stage” of its campaign against Hamas. The IDF said the 162nd and 98th divisions were leading the push and that the 36th division would join in the coming days.
The escalation follows the Israeli Security Cabinet’s approval last month of plans to seize Gaza City – one of the few areas not under IDF control – in a move that could pave the way for a full takeover of the Palestinian enclave.
While a ground assault had been anticipated in October, the early phases of the offensive, dubbed ‘Gideon’s Chariots B’, began weeks ago with intensified strikes on alleged Hamas positions, including high-rise towers, as well as ground raids on the outskirts of Gaza City and several neighborhoods to the west.
Palestinian media reported heavy strikes on Gaza City and its outskirts on Monday night, with some outlets claiming that IDF tanks had entered.
16 September 202509:13 GMTPalestine’s Foreign Ministry has urged “exceptional and urgent international intervention” to safeguard civilians and stop Israel’s advance into Gaza City.In a post on X, the ministry stated that diplomatic efforts to end the conflict had been a “failure” and appealed to the international community to take action
الخارجية: تطالب بتدخل دولي استثنائي وعاجل لحماية المدنيين في مدينة غزة
— State of Palestine - MFA 🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@pmofa) September 16, 2025
عجز الدبلوماسية الدولية في وقف الحرب مريب وغير مبرر
تنظر الوزارة بخطورة بالغة لتفاخر أركان حكومة الاحتلال ببدء اجتياح مدينة غزة وتعريض حياة مئات آلاف المدنيين الفلسطينيين لخطر القتل والتهجير، وتعتبره إمعاناً… pic.twitter.com/QB1nHIb5o1
09:12 GMT
As Israel launches its ground offensive in Gaza City, UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s agency, cautioned that “any further intensification” of military operations would “multiply children’s suffering exponentially, ripping away the last vestiges of protection.”
According to the agency, 450,000 children in the city are “traumatized and exhausted, facing famine,” with no aid and “collapsed medical care.”
UNICEF stressed that children have already endured “nearly two years of unrelenting war” and warned they will “face more loss if another escalation hits.”
Any further intensification of the military offensive in Gaza City would multiply children’s suffering exponentially, ripping away the last vestiges of protection.
— UNICEF MENA - يونيسف الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا (@UNICEFmena) September 15, 2025
They need protection, the world must act now. pic.twitter.com/TUbXQAXccq
09:09 GMT
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has accused the UN commission report’s authors of being “Hamas proxies” and called for the “immediate abolition” of the commision.
“The report relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others,” the ministry claimed.
09:07 GMT
Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a report published on Tuesday.
The Commission concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces carried out four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life aimed at destroying Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures to prevent births.
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, chair of the Commission. “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
The Commission urged Israel and other UN members to meet their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and hold the perpetrators accountable.
09:02 GMT
Videos on social media show families spending the night in the streets of Gaza City after intensive Israeli bombardment. Reports from Gaza claim that dozens were killed and injured in the overnight strikes.
هربا من القصف الإسرائيلي.. عائلات فلسطينية تفترش الأرصفة في غزة بحثا عن مكان آمن#فلسطين#غزة#قناة_الحدث pic.twitter.com/vqHy0qeVJ8
— ا لـحـدث (@AlHadath) September 16, 2025