Blasts rock Gaza as Israeli military reportedly launches ground offensive in Gaza City

Reuters. Large plumes of smoke were rising in Gaza on Tuesday (September 16) morning, amid reports from Axios citing Israeli officials said that the Israeli military had launched a ground offensive a day earlier to seize Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to request for comment on the reported move, which comes after weeks of intensive Israeli strikes on the city.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military last month to capture Gaza City, which he describes as a stronghold of the militant group Hamas that launched the October 2023 surprise attack on Israel.

Israeli forces have since been operating on the outskirts of Gaza City for weeks, edging closer to the centre of the city where an estimated 1 million Palestinians were sheltering last month.