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.

“Gaza is burning,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said, as any potential ceasefire feels even further out of reach despite weeks of diplomacy.

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.