Israel steps up strikes on Gaza City as defence minister vows mission will continue

Israel has intensified bombardment of Gaza City and other parts of the Gaza Strip, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying on the social platform X that "Gaza is burning" and that Israel "will not relent and we will not go back - until the completion of the mission." The escalation came amid unconfirmed media reports that Israeli forces had launched a ground offensive aimed at occupying the city, though the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had not issued an official confirmation.

Local journalists and Palestinian officials in Gaza reported near-continuous air strikes, artillery fire and gunfire in and around Gaza City, with homes destroyed and people trapped under rubble. Strikes were also reported in central Gaza in the direction where thousands of residents have been fleeing. Palestinian health authorities, run by Hamas, said fatalities and injuries were rising; their ministry puts the overall death toll from the Israeli campaign since October 2023 at more than 64,500, nearly half of them women and children.

The IDF said roughly 250,000 Palestinians had moved south from northern Gaza at its direction, but acknowledged that hundreds of thousands remain in or around Gaza City. Some residents have said they could not afford to relocate, were unable to find shelter in the south, or believed the south was also exposed to strikes. Humanitarian agencies and the United Nations have repeatedly warned that further intensification risks pushing civilians into "even deeper catastrophe" as a UN-backed body has declared famine conditions in parts of the territory.

The reported surge in strikes followed a visit to Jerusalem by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and later travelled to Qatar. Rubio told reporters in Jerusalem that Washington preferred a negotiated end to the war and hoped regional partners would "stay engaged." He said there was "a very short window" for a deal and added that Hamas needed to cease to exist as an armed group. Qatar — which has hosted the Hamas political bureau and is home to a major U.S. airbase — convened Arab and Islamic leaders who condemned Israel's recent military actions, including a strike last week in Doha that targeted, but did not reportedly kill, Hamas figures.

Days earlier, the White House said President Donald Trump had assured Qatari leaders that an attack on their soil "will not happen again," comments that came as Israel refused to rule out further strikes on Hamas figures outside Gaza despite international criticism. Qatar has been a central mediator in indirect talks between Hamas and Israel and has worked with international partners to try to broker pauses in the fighting.

Hostage families in Israel have intensified public pressure on the government, with relatives camping outside the prime minister's residence overnight, voicing concern that current military tactics endanger captives held in Gaza. Israeli authorities say about 48 hostages remain in Gaza, with roughly 20 believed to be alive.

Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after a large-scale, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage. The conflict has since produced extensive civilian casualties, widespread displacement and severe humanitarian shortages. International agencies and rights organizations have repeatedly urged all parties to protect civilians and to facilitate humanitarian access; the United Nations has warned that renewed intensification could exacerbate famine and civilian suffering across the strip.

As the situation evolves, the IDF has not provided an official declaration of a new full-scale ground incursion into Gaza City. Independent verification on the ground remains limited due to the security environment and restrictions on movement, while diplomatic efforts to reach a deal or pause in fighting continue amid mounting regional condemnation and growing humanitarian alarm.