Israeli prime minister says army started ‘intensive operation in Gaza City’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Tel Aviv court Tuesday that the Israeli military had launched an “intensive operation in Gaza City,” public broadcaster KAN reported.

“We have begun an intensive operation in Gaza City,” Netanyahu said in the courtroom.

The announcement coincided with a violent Israeli assault on Gaza, where Palestinians endured a night of heavy air and artillery strikes.

Local sources reported 35 people were killed, and others were injured or remain missing, amid explosions from explosive drones targeting homes and residential buildings northwest of the city.

Netanyahu appeared again in the Tel Aviv District Court Tuesday morning to respond to corruption charges against him. He faces accusations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate corruption cases.

Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and devastated the enclave, which faces famine.​​​​​​​

Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war in the territory.