Israeli forces press deeper into Gaza City as strikes intensify; U.S. warns Hamas over alleged use of hostages

Israeli military forces advanced deeper into Gaza City on Tuesday in what officials described as an effort to eradicate Hamas, as residents reported near‑relentless shelling and crowds fled toward the outskirts of the Palestinian territory.

A senior Israel Defense Forces official told Axios that ground forces entered Gaza City on Monday and that additional units would join in the coming days as part of an operation to occupy the metropolitan area. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that Gaza City was "on fire" and that "we will not relent and we will not back down until the mission is accomplished," without specifying whether the move represented a formally declared new operation. The Jerusalem Post reported tanks rolling into the heart of the city and described levels of fighting not seen in northern Gaza in possibly two years.

Overnight strikes in Gaza City killed at least 12 Palestinians, including two children, Shifa Hospital said, receiving the bodies. "It was a heavy night," said Radwan Hayder, a Gaza City resident sheltering near the hospital. The intensification of strikes comes as many hundreds of thousands of civilians remain in the capital, many unable or unwilling to leave their homes. The IDF said about 300,000 people had left their homes by Monday but that an estimated 700,000 remained in Gaza City.

The military offensive has received backing from senior U.S. officials, even as diplomatic efforts continued. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on social media on Tuesday, saying that if reports that Hamas was moving hostages above ground to be used as human shields were true, "all bets are off." Trump said, "This is a human atrocity, the likes of which few people have ever seen before. Don't let this happen or, ALL 'BETS' ARE OFF. RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES NOW!" His comments followed media reports citing the mother of a captured Israeli who said she had been told her son was "alone above ground in Gaza City."

Hamas condemned Trump's remarks as "blatant bias in favor of Zionist propaganda" and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining ceasefire prospects. Hamas said Washington knew "that Netanyahu is sabotaging the chances of any agreement, most recently by attempting to assassinate the negotiating delegation in Qatar while they were discussing [a U.S.-proposed] deal," a charge that could not be independently verified.

The escalation occurred on the same day a United Nations commission of inquiry published a report concluding there were reasonable grounds to believe Israel had committed four of the five acts that could constitute genocide under international law since the war began in October 2023. Israel's foreign ministry rejected the report.

The Netanyahu government has said Gaza City is one of Hamas's last strongholds in the territory and has pursued intensified strikes on the north of the enclave in recent weeks, including attacks on residential towers and schools, according to residents and aid workers. Some senior IDF figures, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, voiced public criticism of plans for a deeper city offensive but have remained in their posts.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Israel on Monday, said there was a "very short window of time in which a deal can happen" to end the war and reiterated that a diplomatic solution in which Hamas demilitarizes remained the United States' preference. Rubio said on the trip that "sometimes when you're dealing with a group of savages like Hamas, that's not possible, but we hope it can happen," remarks that underscored Washington's hardening tone alongside calls for negotiations. Rubio traveled to Qatar on Tuesday to press for the resumption of talks; Qatar and Egypt have been mediators in ceasefire negotiations since the conflict began nearly two years ago.

Israel's strike on Doha last week, which hit the Qatari capital, complicated diplomatic engagement. Qatar hosts a large U.S. military facility and has been a key interlocutor in efforts to negotiate the release of hostages and a cessation of hostilities.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that the intensification of ground operations and airstrikes in densely populated areas will exacerbate civilian casualties and complicate the delivery of aid. International concerns over the protection of civilians have mounted as the campaign has continued, and the U.N. commission's findings add to pressure on parties to the conflict to adhere to international law.

The ground push into Gaza City marks a new phase in a conflict that began with Hamas attacks in October 2023 and has since included repeated Israeli operations across the Palestinian enclave. The immediate trajectory of the operation, its expected duration and whether it will achieve a lasting ceasefire remain unclear. Diplomats and mediators said efforts to restart negotiations would continue even as military operations progress on the ground.