Israel’s Defence Minister said on Tuesday (September 16, 2025) that “Gaza is burning” after heavy strikes overnight targeted Gaza City.
Defence Minister Israel Katz’s remarks come as Israel has been planning a new offensive targeting Gaza City.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to journalists while leaving Israel for Qatar, suggested the offensive had begun.
“The Israelis have begun to take operations there. So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen,” Mr. Rubio said. “We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks ago.”
“Our number one choice is that this ends through a negotiated settlement where Hamas says, ‘We’re going to demilitarise, we’re no longer going to pose a threat,’” Mr. Rubio said.
“Sometimes when you’re dealing with a group of savages like Hamas, that’s not possible, but we hope it can happen,” Rubio said.
Mr. Rubio met with Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday (September 15, 2025), giving his backing to the Israeli Prime Minister’s new offensive in Gaza City and its stated goal of eradicating Hamas.
(With inputs from AFP)