Israel is launching a new offensive on the ground in Gaza City in the middle of the current conflict

Israel has launched a new ground offensive in Gaza City and warned residents to go and go south.

The Israeli defense forces said that the ground offensive began on Tuesday when the troops were trying to tighten control of the largest city in Palestinian territory.

The thrust of Gaza City is a direct continuation of the operation “Gideon’s Chariots”, a campaign of several weeks in the south and the center of Gaza which declared that Israel declared the positions of Hamas and opened the way to troops to progress towards the north. The FDIs said that several divisions began to move forward under an “extended field operation” designed to dismantle the infrastructure of Hamas, consolidate previous gains and push more deeply in the city.

Israeli tanks take a position near the Gaza border on Tuesday while the army launched an extended field operation in Gaza City. (Menahem Kahana / AFP)

Israel warns against the imminent attack on Gaza City, urges residents to flee

The last assault follows a week during which the Israeli Air Force struck more than 850 targets in Gaza City, killing what it described as hundreds of Hamas fighters and destroying infrastructure intended to blunt a foray on the ground. The strikes, he said, had to degrade the defenses of Hamas and prepare the battlefield to advance the troops.

An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under military directives, told the Associated Press that around 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas activists remain in Gaza City, as well as a network of tunnels.

The offensive marks yet another climbing in a conflict that rolled the Middle East Like any potential ceasefire feels more and more out of reach despite months of diplomacy.

Watch: infographic shows the latest offensive on the ground of Israel in Gaza City

Israel should launch Gaza City Offensive: High issues, upcoming high costs

Palestinian residents reported strong strikes in the city of Gaza on Tuesday morning. At noon, the Shifa hospital had received the bodies of 34 people killed during the strikes, said Dr. Rami Mhanna, responsible for the hospital, at the Associated Press. Dozens of others injured also arrived in the establishment.

“A very difficult night in Gaza,” said Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, director of Shifa, AP. “The bombing did not stop for a moment.”

Avichay Adraee, spokesperson in the Arab language of the Israeli army, warned residents that Gaza City is now a “dangerous combat zone”.

“For your safety, evacuate as quickly as possible to the safe areas published, by vehicle or on foot, via the al-Rashid corridor south of Wadi Gaza,” said Adraee. “Join more than 40% of the city’s residents who have already evacuated to protect their own safety and that of their loved ones.”

The displaced Palestinians flee the city of Gaza along the coastal road while the Israeli ground offensive begins on September 16, 2025.

The IDF estimates that 350,000 people fled the city of Gaza – around a third of the city’s population before the offensive on the ground. This figure contradicts an estimate of the UN issued on Monday that more than 220,000 Palestinians fled northern Gaza during the last month, after Israeli warnings to evacuate before the operation.

The long lines of traffic spread Tuesday on the coastal road of Gaza, with vehicles stacked with mattresses and personal effects while others run away on foot.

The FDIs said that several of its front -line divisions were mobilized for the new phase.

“During the last day, the TSAhal troops in the Southern Command of the 98th, 162nd and 36th divisions, both in compulsory and reserve service, began to extend the ground operations to Gaza City as part of the Operation ‘` Gideon’s Chariots II’ ‘, said the military.

A graphic published by the Israeli defense forces illustrates the conclusion of the operation “Gideon’s Chariots” and the expansion of the operation on the ground in the city of Gaza. (IDF)

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“The Gaza division operates in the security zone along the border against the communities of the West Negev and operating in the regions of Rafah and Khan Yunis, while the 99th division operates in the Northern Gaza Strip.”

Meanwhile, the State Department said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met with Doha Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Rubio reaffirmed the American ties – Qatar, thanked Doha for his efforts to end the war in Gaza and bring all the hostages home. Rubio also reiterated the support of America for Qatar’s safety and sovereignty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.