Israel unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City today, declaring Gaza is burning as Palestinians there described the most intense bombardment they had faced in two years of war. In a social media post, Defence Minister Israel Katz Gaza said that the IDF has struck 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. An Israel Defence Forces official said ground troops were moving deeper into the enclave’s main city.

He said the number of soldiers will rise in the coming days to confront up to 3,000 Hamas combatants, the IDF believes are still in the city. In launching the assault, Israel’s government defied European leaders who threatened sanctions. A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, incited by top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel called the assessment scandalous and fake.