Israel Expands Gaza City Operation as Katz Declares ‘Gaza Is Burning’
IDF says it has begun a broader campaign to destroy Hamas infrastructure in Gaza City as strikes kill senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives and leaders vow to press on until hostages are freed
Israel intensified operations in Gaza City on Tuesday as the Israel Defense Forces said it had begun a broader campaign to destroy Hamas terror infrastructure and Defence Minister Israel Katz declared, “Gaza is burning.” The military said the operation is aimed at degrading armed groups in the enclave and creating conditions for the return of hostages held since the Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack.
Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab media division of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, confirmed on X that the army had “begun destroying Hamas’s infrastructure in Gaza City” and warned residents that the area was “considered a dangerous combat zone.” He urged Palestinians to join what he said was more than 40% of the city’s residents who had already evacuated. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, speaking as he departed Israel for Doha, said Israeli operations in Gaza City had begun and warned that negotiators had a “very short window” to reach a deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Tuesday that the military had launched an “intense operation” and described Israel as being at a “critical stage” in the campaign. Netanyahu reiterated the government’s objectives, outlined by the cabinet in August, of disarming Hamas, returning remaining hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, establishing Israeli security control and creating an alternative civilian administration in the enclave.
The IDF said an operation on Monday night eliminated 21 senior operatives of the Iran-aligned Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a group that participated in the Oct. 7 attacks alongside Hamas. The military said the operation, led by its Southern Command in coordination with Military Intelligence, the Israeli Air Force and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), targeted commanders, weapons experts and field operatives responsible for arms production, artillery, sniper teams and sector command positions.
Among those the IDF named were Mohammad Radwan Ramadan Mushtaha, identified as the head of military armament in Gaza’s north; Amir al-Shaam Faiz Wadi, described as commander of PIJ’s sniper array in the Khan Younis Brigade; Jamal Mahmoud Salem Ma’amar, who oversaw artillery operations in Rafah; and Fazel Zakariya Ahmad Abu al-Ata, a Gaza Brigade sector commander. The IDF also said it killed several operatives it described as specialists in arms production and field operatives who had carried out direct attacks against Israeli forces.
Israeli officials said dozens of targets in Gaza City were struck in a wave of aerial attacks Monday night that residents and witnesses in central Israel reported hearing as echoes of intense explosions. The military said it would continue to act “decisively against all terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.”
The conflict has driven large numbers of civilians from their homes. Displaced Palestinians were seen moving with belongings toward the south of the Gaza Strip following renewed evacuation orders for Gaza City earlier in the week. The IDF’s warnings and orders to move have been part of efforts it says are intended to reduce civilian harm, a claim disputed by Gaza health authorities and humanitarian organizations that report large numbers of civilian casualties and deepening humanitarian needs.
The Israeli government has sought to balance military pressure with diplomatic efforts to secure the release of hostages. President Donald Trump, posting on his Truth Social platform, alleged that Hamas had moved hostages above ground to use them as “human shields” against a ground offensive and warned the group against such actions. Netanyahu expressed appreciation for what he called the Trump administration’s “unflinching support for Israel’s battle against Hamas and the release of all our hostages.”
Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, Israeli authorities say, 711 days after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack; Israeli estimates suggest up to 20 of those may still be alive. Israeli officials have said their operations will continue until their stated objectives are met.
Diplomatic activity continues alongside the fighting. Rubio urged urgency in talks as he traveled to Doha, saying negotiators likely had days or a few weeks to secure a deal. Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, have reiterated willingness to end the war under terms based on recent U.S. proposals and the principles set by Israel’s government, but they have emphasized that any settlement must meet the Cabinet’s objectives.
The expanded operation in Gaza City represents a focal point in a conflict that has drawn regional and international attention, with military, political and humanitarian dimensions evolving rapidly as combat operations continue.