“Israel” launched a large-scale bombing campaign on Gaza City on Tuesday, escalating its assault on the besieged enclave just as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced strong support for its military objectives and cautioned that only days remain for a diplomatic resolution.
Israeli Minister of Security Israel Katz had declared earlier that Gaza City, the Strip’s main urban hub, was “on fire.” He added that the occupation “will not relent and we will not back down until the mission is accomplished.”
Speaking to AFP, Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense agency, reported that air raids were ongoing early Tuesday, with casualties continuing to mount. He confirmed that strikes also targeted Khan Yunis in the south, where 49 people were killed a day earlier.
Dramatic escalation since occupation plans
The assault on Gaza City intensified following “Israel’s” formal approval of a plan to occupy the city in August 2025. The operation, named “Gideon’s Chariots B,” was designed in phases, first besieging and blockading the city, followed by a gradual military occupation.
Since then, at least 1,890 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza City alone, nearly 40 percent of them children, women, and the elderly. In just two days of strikes in mid-September, over 100 Palestinians were killed, with most deaths recorded in Gaza City.
