Smoke billows from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip Tuesday.

Israel announced the start of its long-awaited ground operation into Gaza City on Tuesday, declaring “Gaza is burning.”

An Israeli military official said the Israeli Defence Forces had begun the main stage of their ground operation into Gaza City, the main urban centre in the enclave, where Israel has ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to flee.

The military gave few initial details but said its troops had begun “dismantling Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City.” Residents should leave.

“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 t

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