Smoke rises from the Hamas-controlled Al-Ghafri Tower in Gaza City after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Omar Mohammed\/Flash90.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cGaza is burning,\u201d Katz said. \u201cThe IDF strikes with an iron fist at the terror infrastructure, and IDF soldiers fight with courage to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Col. Avichay Adraee, the head of the Arab media division of the IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit, subsequently confirmed on X that the army \u201cbegan destroying Hamas\u2019s infrastructure in Gaza City.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGaza City is considered a dangerous combat zone, and staying in the area puts you at risk,\u201d Adraee added, urging Palestinians to join \u201cthe more than 40% of the city\u2019s residents\u201d who have already evacuated.<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking as he departed Israel for Doha on Tuesday morning, also suggested that the IDF offensive to capture Gaza City had already started.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Israelis have begun to take operations there,\u201d Rubio stated. \u201cSo we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks to go,\u201d Washington\u2019s top diplomat continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur preference, our No. 1 choice, is that this ends through a negotiated settlement,\u201d he added. \u201cAt some point, this has to end. At some point, Hamas has to be defanged, and we hope it can happen through a negotiation. But I think time, unfortunately, is running out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed in later on Tuesday, saying the military had launched an \u201d intense operation\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Israel \u201cis at a critical stage in this struggle and there are consequences,\u201d Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his spokesman.<\/p>\n
On Monday night, the IDF said it had eliminated 21 senior operatives of the Iranian-controlled Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization, which participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre alongside Hamas.<\/p>\n
The operation\u2014led by the IDF\u2019s Southern Command in coordination with its Military Intelligence Directorate, the Israeli Air Force and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet)\u2014targeted commanders, weapons experts and field operatives.<\/p>\n
Among those killed were key terrorists responsible for arms production, artillery, sniper and sector command positions, including Mohammad Radwan Ramadan Mushtaha, the head of military armament in Gaza\u2019s north, and Amir al-Shaam Faiz Wadi, commander of the terror group\u2019s sniper array in the Khan Younis Brigade, the IDF stated on Monday.<\/p>\n
Other high-ranking commanders killed include Jamal Mahmoud Salem Ma\u2019amar, who oversaw artillery operations in Rafah, as well as Fazel Zakariya Ahmad Abu al-Ata, a Gaza Brigade sector commander.<\/p>\n
The IDF also eliminated five operatives with specialized knowledge of arms production, including Mansour Mahmoud Mohammad Salah and Ahmad Ziyad Qasem Qadi, as well as several field operatives who had executed direct attacks against Israeli forces. Ihab Bassam Yousef Abu al-Kheir, head of PIJ\u2019s sniper squads, was among those killed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IDF and the ISA will continue to act decisively against all terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,\u201d the IDF said.<\/p>\n
According to Israel\u2019s Channel 12 News<\/em>, the military hit dozens of targets in Gaza City on Monday night, in a wave of aerial attacks described as \u201cintense and significant.\u201d<\/p>\nResidents in central Israel reported hearing the echoes of the intense explosions.<\/p>\n
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar stressed last week that Jerusalem was still seeking to end the war based on U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s latest truce proposal<\/a> and according to the principles set by Israel\u2019s Cabinet.<\/p>\nNetanyahu on Aug. 14 outlined the Cabinet\u2019s objectives<\/a> as the disarmament of Hamas, the return of all 48 remaining hostages, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli security control and establishing an alternative civilian administration in the enclave.<\/p>\nNetanyahu on Monday evening expressed appreciation for the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cunflinching support for Israel\u2019s battle against Hamas and the release of all our hostages.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prime minister was responding to Trump stating<\/a> that he just read a news report that \u201cHamas has moved the hostages above ground to use them as human shields against Israel\u2019s ground offensive\u201d in Gaza City.<\/p>\n\u201cI hope the leaders of Hamas know what they\u2019re getting into if they do such a thing,\u201d he had written on his Truth Social platform. \u201cThis is a human atrocity, the likes of which few people have ever seen before. Don\u2019t let this happen or all bets are off. Release all hostages now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forty-eight hostages remain in terror captivity in the Strip, 711 days after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 cross-border attack. According to Israeli estimates, up to 20 are believed to be alive.<\/p>\n
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