Israel launched heavy overnight airstrikes on Gaza City, with unconfirmed reports from Axios and The Jerusalem Post suggesting a ground offensive to occupy the city may now be underway. The Israeli military has not officially confirmed a new incursion, but local journalists in Gaza report near-constant shelling, artillery fire, and gun battles. Entire homes have been destroyed, with civilians reportedly trapped under rubble.
The intensified bombardment preceded a long-threatened full-scale invasion of Gaza City—home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Strikes were also reported in central Gaza, along routes where thousands of displaced residents are fleeing. Palestinian officials say casualties are rising rapidly.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz declared on X, “Gaza is burning,” vowing:
“We will not relent and we will not go back—until the completion of the mission.”
The escalation came just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, reaffirming Washington’s unwavering support. Speaking later at Ben Gurion Airport, Rubio warned there was “a very short window” for a negotiated settlement, adding Hamas “must cease to exist as an armed group.” Rubio is now traveling to Qatar, the key mediator in Gaza talks, where Arab and Muslim leaders have condemned Israel’s recent strike on Doha—an attack reportedly targeting but failing to kill Hamas leaders.
Displacement and Humanitarian Crisis
- The Israel Defense Forces estimate around 250,000 residents have fled Gaza City, though hundreds of thousands remain. Many say they cannot afford to flee or distrust that southern Gaza is safe, as Israeli strikes continue there.
- Hostage families in Israel staged an overnight vigil outside Netanyahu’s residence, fearing the offensive endangers the remaining 48 hostages—with 20 believed alive—still held by Hamas.
- Since Israel’s campaign began following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack (which killed ~1,200 Israelis and saw 251 hostages taken), more than 64,500 Palestinians—nearly half women and children—have been killed, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
- A UN-backed panel has already declared famine in parts of Gaza and warns further escalation risks “even deeper catastrophe” for civilians.
Regional and Diplomatic Fallout
- Arab and Islamic leaders meeting in Doha condemned Israel’s actions, while the White House reiterated that former President Trump assured Qatar such strikes on its soil would not recur.
- Qatar hosts a major U.S. airbase and has served as a critical mediator in indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel since 2012.
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