Displaced Palestinians flee northern Gaza along the coastal road toward the south, after Israel's military says its expanded operation in Gaza City has begun and warns residents to leave, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military began its ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, slowly closing in on the Palestinian territory’s largest city, where block after block has already been destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war. Thousands of people streamed out in vehicles laden with their belongings, but hundreds of thousands more remain.

The operation marks yet another escalation in a conflict that has roiled the Middle East for nearly two years and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach. The military wouldn’t offer a timeline for the offensive, which it says aims to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” but Israeli media suggested it could take months.

It began the same day that independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel fiercely rejected the allegation, calling the experts’ report “distorted and false.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that “Gaza is burning” as the operation began, and heavy bombardment battered the city overnight and into the morning.

Long lines of cars and trucks strapped with mattresses and other belongings stretched down Gaza’s coastal road, as people fled the city. Some crowded on top of vehicles, while others made their way on foot.

On a brief visit to the region, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that there was a “very short window of time in which a deal can happen” to end the war.

Intensity of strikes in Gaza City grows

An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines, said that the “main phase” of the Gaza City operation had begun, with troops moving in from the city’s outskirts toward its center. Airstrikes have pounded Gaza City for some time in the leadup to the operation, knocking down towers in the city.

The official said the Israeli military believes there are approximately 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas militants left in Gaza City, as well as tunnels used by the militant group. Hamas’ military capabilities have been vastly diminished over nearly two years of war, and nowadays it mainly carries out guerrilla-style attacks, with small groups of fighters planting explosives or attacking military outposts before melting away.

An estimated 1 million Palestinians were living in the Gaza City region before warnings to evacuate began ahead of the offensive, and the Israeli military estimates 350,000 people have left the city.

A U.N. estimate on Monday, however, said that over 220,000 Palestinians have fled northern Gaza over the past month.

By the end of the current operation, an Israeli military graphic suggested its troops hope to control all of the Gaza Strip except for a large swath along the coast.

At least 69 Palestinians killed in Gaza City

Palestinian residents reported heavy strikes across Gaza City on Tuesday morning, with hospitals in the city saying there were at least 69 deaths.

Shifa Hospital received the bodies of 49 people, including 22 children, according to Dr. Rami Mhanna, a hospital official, who said dozens of wounded had also come into the facility. Al-Ahli Hospital received 17 bodies, and Al-Quds three.

“A very tough night in Gaza,” Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, Shifa’s director, told The Associated Press. “The bombing did not stop for a single moment.”

Several women gathered at the hospital’s morgue, where AP footage showed many dead in body bags.

“How long will we remain like this? We’ve had enough,” said one of the women, who identified herself as Um Ahmed Zaqout. “Throw us into any country. Enough of this torture here.”

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the deadly strikes but in the past has accused Hamas of building military infrastructure inside civilian areas, especially in Gaza City.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Forty-eight hostages, fewer than half believed to be alive, remain in Gaza.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, says women and children make up around half the dead.