‘Gaza is burning’: How Israel’s ground assault on Gaza City unfolds

Israel launched its ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday (September 16), killing dozens of people. Palestinians faced an alarming Israeli military escalation, involving aerial and artillery bombardment, drones, and naval vessels.

Israel’s defence minister said that “Gaza is burning”. The Israeli government claims Gaza City is the last major stronghold of Hamas. The major offensive in the city comes as an independent United Nations inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Let’s take a closer look.

Israel escalates military operation in Gaza City

Israel said it has launched a ground incursion into Gaza City, despite international condemnation and outrage.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its army divisions are “expanding ground operations in Gaza City” as a part of what it called ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots II’.

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It also said that it has units operating “in the security zone along the border” with Israel and in the Rafah and Khan Younis areas of Gaza.

“Gaza is burning,” Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X. “The IDF strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and IDF soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”

Palestinians reported heavy bombardment in famine-stricken Gaza City overnight and into Tuesday. Hospitals in the city said there were at least 69 deaths, as per Associated Press (AP).

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A missile destroyed two multi-storey residential buildings in the middle of the night, with people rushing to locate victims trapped under the rubble, reported Reuters.

The shelling hit several areas in all four corners of the city, with the most intense reported in the south-eastern part, especially in the neighbourhoods of al-Daraj, al-Zaytoun, and al-Sabra, according to BBC. 

Speaking to Reuters, Abu Mohammed Hamed, a resident, said many of his relatives had been injured or killed. He added that his cousin’s body was trapped by a concrete block: “We don’t know how to take her out. We have been working on it since 3 am.”

Meanwhile, armoured Israeli vehicles have been deployed at the border fence separating Israel and Gaza.

The Israeli military estimates there are up to 3,000 Hamas militants in Gaza City. “We are expecting to see in combat between 2,000 and 3,000 Hamas terrorists in Gaza City,” a military official reportedly said in a briefing.

‘Wiping out our memories’

Around one million (10 lakh) people live in and around Gaza City. Israel has called on these residents to leave and move south.

“Gaza City is considered a dangerous combat zone, and staying in the area puts you at risk,” Arabic spokesperson for the IDF Avichay Adraee said on X.

The IDF told residents to move “as quickly as possible” through Al-Rashid Street and toward the south of Gaza City either by “vehicle or on foot.”

A long line of displaced Palestinians has been forced to flee the city towards the south and west with their limited possessions in donkey carts, rickshaws, heavily laden vehicles or on foot.

Alaa, 34, who is among those forced to flee from Gaza City, told BBC about the Israeli strikes: “I was at work and they targeted many buildings around my office. People were left on the streets. It was an insane situation.”

She said her “heart fell” at the sound of the bombs.

“I have been displaced before, from Rafah to Khan Younis. It is a humiliating journey to experience it all over again. I feel so desperate,” she added.

“It is heartbreaking to see Gaza falling apart…the city with my memories,” Alaa lamented.

Israel has increasingly targeted high-rise towers in Gaza City over the last week.

“They are destroying residential towers, the pillars of the city, mosques, schools and roads,” Abu Tamer, a 70-year-old man displaced along with his family, said to Reuters in a text message. “They are wiping out our memories.”

Some residents have refused to leave. Those who cannot afford to secure a tent and transport or believe there is nowhere safe to go are staying put.

“It is like escaping from death towards death, so we are not leaving,” Um Mohammad, a woman living in the suburb of Sabra, told Reuters.

Europe condemns, but US supports Israel’s ground offensive

The United Nations (UN) and others have warned that Israel’s military assault on Gaza City would worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis. Famine has been declared in parts of the narrow enclave.

Israel’s latest ground offensive in Gaza’s largest city has been condemned by global leaders.

Downing Street said that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined a video call with the leaders of Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, France and Canada on Monday, where the leaders discussed the “appalling situation in Gaza”.

They also called on Israel to stop its ground offensive and allow more humanitarian aid straight away. “This is the only way to make progress towards a ceasefire and secure the release of the hostages,” they added.

The UK’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, termed the new IDF assault “utterly reckless and appalling.” She posted on X that it will “only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and endanger the remaining hostages” held in Gaza.

The European Union (EU) called on Israel to halt its ground invasion of northern Gaza.

“Military intervention will lead to more destruction, more death and more displacements,” said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission. “This will also aggravate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and also endanger the lives of hostages.”

The bloc is planning to increase pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza.

Germany’s foreign minister called Israel’s assault in Gaza City “the completely wrong path” and urged parties to talk to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal. “We reject this and have made this clear to the Israeli government,” Johann Wadephul said.

Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said that her country was “extremely worried” by the new ground incursion. “We have been very clear from the very beginning when these plans were presented that any change by force of territory would be a breach of international law,” she said.

Dutch foreign minister David van Weel wrote on X that “the intensification of the Israeli operation in Gaza leads to more casualties, further displacement, and the forced relocation of the Palestinian civil population. Their suffering is already indescribable.”

UN human rights chief Volker Türk said that it is “absolutely clear that this carnage must stop” and condemned Israel’s assault as “totally and utterly unacceptable”.

“The whole world screams for peace. Palestinians, Israelis scream for peace. Everyone wants an end to this, and what we see is a further escalation which is totally and utterly unacceptable,” he told reporters.

Israel announced its ground operation as United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Jerusalem, offering US support to the assault.

Hours before the escalation, Rubio said that while the US wished for a diplomatic end to the war, “we have to be prepared for the possibility that’s not going to happen”.

Has Israel committed ‘genocide’ in Gaza?

On Tuesday, a UN investigation concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, incited by top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry urged Israel and all UN member states to meet their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and to punish those responsible for it.

The commission also recommended countries “cease the transfer of arms and other equipment that may be used for the commission of genocidal acts to Israel” and ensure that individuals and corporations in their jurisdiction “are not involved in aiding and assisting the commission of genocide,” CNN reported, citing a press release.

Israel has rejected the report, calling it “scandalous” and “fake”.

With inputs from agencies