Israel Starts Land Operations, Israeli Minister: Gaza Is On Fire

Israeli Military/DOK Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

JAKARTA - Israel announced the start of land operations to Gaza City on Tuesday. Gaza is called the Israeli minister terbakar.

An Israeli military official said Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had started the main stage of their ground operations to Gaza City, the main city center in the enclave, where Israel had ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate.

The military only provided a few initial details, but said its troops had begun dismantling the Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City. Residents have to leave.

"Gaza is on fire," Israeli Defense Minister Katz wrote on X. "IDF attacks terrorist infrastructure with iron hands and IDF soldiers fighting bravely to create conditions that allow the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas," he continued.

Residents said city bombings had increased dramatically over the past two days, with more devastating explosions destroying dozens of houses, and naval ships joining tanks and planes in coastal bombings.

"We have launched a significant operation in Gaza," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his testimony in court in an ongoing corruption trial.

Israeli forces have been operating on the outskirts of Gaza for weeks, approaching the city center.

An Israeli security official said about 320,000 people were expected to have left Gaza City so far, while some 650,000 are expected to remain.

These figures are not independently verifiable. Thousands of residents have been displaced by fire while carrying their belongings.

Israeli political leaders said the attack was part of a plan to dissolve Hamas as a political and armed organization. Netanyahu insisted that the group should lay down its arms and have no future role in Gaza.

The Israeli military has leveled buildings on the outskirts of Gaza in recent weeks, including tall towers.

The United Nations (UN) and countries critical of Israeli tactics said the action was a forced mass refugee and that conditions in the dense southern region where the population was delivered were very poor, with little food.

Several Israeli military commanders have also expressed concern about the operation, warning the operation could jeopardize the remaining hostages captured by Hamas during the October 2023 attack, and may be a "death trap" for troops.