Israel has unleashed a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City, declaring “Gaza is burning” as Palestinians there described the most intense bombardment they had faced in two years of conflict, Reuters reports.

An Israel Defence Forces official said ground troops were moving deeper into the enclave’s main city, and that the number of soldiers would rise in the coming days to confront up to 3,000 Hamas combatants the IDF believes are still in the city.

“Gaza is burning,” Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on X. “The IDF strikes 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.”

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