Israel has launched a ground offensive in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening session of his corruption trial, Netanyahu asked to be excused from testimony due to the “important things happening,” declaring that the IDF “has begun an intensive operation in Gaza City.”

The military later confirmed that two IDF divisions, numbering tens of thousands of troops, had begun expanded ground operations overnight as the army entered a “new stage” of its campaign against Hamas. The IDF said the 162nd and 98th divisions were leading the push and that the 36th division would join in the coming days.

The escalation follows the Israeli Security Cabinet’s approval last month of plans to seize Gaza City – one of the few areas not under IDF control – in a move that could pave the way for a full takeover of the Palestinian enclave.

While a ground assault had been anticipated in October, the early phases of the offensive, dubbed ‘Gideon’s Chariots B’, began weeks ago with intensified strikes on alleged Hamas positions, including high-rise towers, as well as ground raids on the outskirts of Gaza City and several neighborhoods to the west.

Palestinian media reported heavy strikes on Gaza City and its outskirts on Monday night, with some outlets claiming that IDF tanks had entered.

• 16 September 2025

  17:54 GMT

  The Spanish Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying that Madrid, along with Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, Slovenia, South Africa, and Türkiye, are concerned about the “security of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF).”

  Launched in July and made up of nationals from more than 40 countries, the initiative says it aims to challenge what it describes as the illegal Israeli siege of Gaza by bringing humanitarian supplies to the Palestinian enclave’s population.

  According to the statement released on Tuesday, the governments of all the above-listed nations support the GSF’s efforts.

  “We therefore call on everyone to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the Flotilla, to respect international law and international humanitarian law,” the document states, warning that any attack on the activists “will lead to accountability.”

• 16:54 GMT

  IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin has characterized Gaza City as the “central hub of Hamas’ military and governing power,” accusing the militants of turning the area into the “largest human shield in history.”

  “Beneath the streets runs a vast network of tunnels, connecting command centers, rocket launchers, and weapon storage facilities – all deliberately hidden under civilians, in civilian infrastructure,” he said.

  Defrin urged Palestinian civilians to stay away from the combat zone, and claimed that the IDF has “expanded humanitarian efforts in Gaza” in recent weeks.

https://www.rt.com/news/624712-gaza-city-ground-offensive/

If this does not make sense, it's because Mr Netanyahu is a dangerous psychopath....

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