Ground Assault on Gaza City by Israel Has Begun
An Israeli armored vehicle moves along the Israeli-Gaza border as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The Israeli military launched a ground offensive on Gaza City Tuesday, tightening its grip on the Palestinian territory’s largest urban center, much of which has already been reduced to rubble in the ongoing war with Hamas. Civilians remaining in the city were urged to evacuate and move south, according to the Associated Press. Prior to the warnings, the region was home to roughly one million Palestinians.
The operation marks a significant escalation in a conflict that has destabilized the region and pushed prospects for a ceasefire further out of reach, despite months of diplomatic efforts. While Israeli officials have not provided a timeline, local media reports suggest the campaign could last for months.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that “Gaza is burning,” as a new report from UN-appointed human rights experts accused Israel of committing genocide in the territory. The Israeli government strongly rejected the findings, calling the report “distorted and false.” Israel reportedly aims to maintain control over much of the Gaza Strip, excluding a stretch of coastal land.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed Israel for Qatar, where he met with the country’s emir. Qatar has expressed outrage over an Israeli airstrike last week that killed five Hamas members and a local security official. The strike has intensified tensions with Arab and Muslim countries, many of which condemned Israel during a summit on Monday. However, the summit produced no concrete measures against Israel.
Egypt notably escalated its rhetoric, referring to Israel as the “enemy”—a label it had avoided in recent years. Speaking from Doha, Rubio emphasized the urgency of diplomacy. “We have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen,” he said, calling a negotiated settlement the best possible outcome. “The only thing worse than war is a war that never ends,” he added. “At some point, this has to end. Hamas has to be defanged. But time is running out.”
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