Gaza “will be destroyed” if Hamas does not surrender, Israel’s defence minister warned, after the country launched a major ground offensive into the enclave’s largest city.
Israeli tanks and troops rolled into Gaza City early on Tuesday despite mounting international condemnation after a devastating overnight bombardment.
As the war entered what could be its most destructive chapter, Israel Katz ordered Hamas to “release all the hostages and to disarm”. If the group refused Israel’s demands, he said, the war-battered territory “will be destroyed”.
His statement came soon after a UN report concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and accused its leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, of war crimes – accusations that Israel has fiercely rejected.
The fresh assault into Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain, has drawn widespread condemnation, with the UN rights chief demanding an end to the “carnage”.
