Palestinians flee Gaza City as Israel says it launched ground assault amid global outcry

Thousands Flee as Israel Launches Expanded Ground Offensive on Gaza City

Jerusalem — Israel intensified its war on Gaza on Tuesday, launching a major ground assault on Gaza City despite mounting international condemnation and warnings of worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

The Israeli military said its troops advanced on the city’s outskirts, backed by heavy airstrikes that leveled several residential towers in recent days. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that “Gaza is burning,” vowing to crush Hamas and secure the release of hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the operation a “critical stage” in the war, framing Gaza City as one of Hamas’ final strongholds.

The United Nations warned the offensive would deepen famine and displacement in the enclave, where about one million people live in and around Gaza City. The IDF says 40% of residents have evacuated—figures CNN could not independently verify—but tens of thousands were still seen moving south on foot and in overcrowded vehicles.

An independent UN inquiry on Tuesday accused Israel of committing genocide, citing evidence that Palestinians were targeted “collectively due to their identity.” Israel rejected the findings as “false and distorted.”

Gaza City, which had until now avoided the scale of destruction seen in Rafah and Khan Younis, is now under relentless bombardment. At least 93 Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza and more than 100 across the enclave on Tuesday alone, according to local health officials.

Residents described a night of nonstop explosions. “Fear, fear, it’s all fear,” said Maysar Al Adwan, a resident carrying mattresses and blankets through the rubble. Another, Rawan Al Salmoni, a mother of four, said she believed she would not survive the strikes: “We said by God, we will die here. It’s a miracle that we left.”

Israel had previously pledged to allow civilians to evacuate to the al-Mawasi area and to expand humanitarian aid facilities, but only five out of a planned 16 aid centers are currently operational. Many Palestinians now walk for hours to reach food or medical care.

The mass exodus has clogged Gaza’s main highways. “We’re fleeing the destruction and the ruins,” said Ahmad Abul-hal, perched atop a pickup truck. “But we’re going from death to death, not from death to safety.”

UN human rights chief Volker Türk urged immediate global action to stop the assault, calling the escalation “totally and utterly unacceptable.” The Palestinian Authority also condemned the offensive, warning it would destabilize the region and appealing for US intervention.

Instead, Washington doubled down on support. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Jerusalem, demanded Hamas release the remaining 48 hostages but admitted that a purely diplomatic solution was unlikely. “It may require ultimately a concise military operation to eliminate them,” he said alongside Netanyahu.

Hamas branded the offensive an “unprecedented barbaric escalation,” accusing Israel of violating international law. Israeli officials estimate 2,000–3,000 Hamas fighters remain in Gaza City, a fraction of the population, and concede that militants could blend in with civilians fleeing south.

A military spokesman suggested the battle for Gaza City may not be decisive. “It is the main stronghold of Hamas at the moment,” he said. “I said main, not last.”

Source Images: CNN News