Israel's defence minister says 'Gaza is burning'

ISRAEL’S Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that “Gaza is burning’, as the Israeli military began a ground offensive targeting Gaza City yesterday.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTERS

As Israeli forces slowly squeezed in on the Palestinian territory's largest city, residents still in the city were warned they must leave and head south. The push marks yet another escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict. While the Israeli military would not offer a timeline for the offensive, Israeli media outlets suggested it could take months.

Mr Katz said “Gaza is burning” as independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council announced that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, joining a rising international chorus of such accusations.

Israel fiercely rejected the claim, calling the experts’ report “distorted and false”.

The UK Government called Israel's new offensive in Gaza “utterly reckless and appalling”.