JERUSALEM – Israel announced on Tuesday it launched a ground incursion to seize Gaza City, soon after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio left Tel Aviv, escalating its war in defiance of international condemnation and backlash from the families of Israeli hostages.

Israel launched what may be its biggest ground operation in Gaza since the initial military incursion at the beginning of the war, marking an unprecedented escalation that has full US backing.

Nearly two years into the conflict, the Israeli military says it has begun a new and expanded ground incursion into Gaza City, which Israeli officials have said is one of Hamas’ last remaining strongholds.

Since the late hours of Monday, Gaza City has witnessed what could be described as a significant and alarming Israeli military escalation. This involved both aerial and artillery bombardment, drones, and even naval vessels.

The shelling has hit various areas across all four corners of the city, with the most intense seen on the south-eastern part, particularly in the neighbourhoods of al-Daraj, al-Zaytoun, and al-Sabra.

Several European countries denounced the latest Israeli offensive, saying it will only bring more bloodshed.

The UK’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, called the new Israeli assault “utterly reckless and appalling,” saying it will “only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and endanger the remaining hostages” held in the enclave.

Dutch foreign minister David van Weel wrote on X that “the intensification of the Israeli operation in Gaza leads to more casualties, further displacement, and the forced relocation of the Palestinian civil population. Their suffering is already indescribable.”

Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul told reporters the latest Israeli offensive in Gaza is “completely the wrong approach,” adding that his country has made it clear to the Israeli government that it rejects its decision.

Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said that her country was “extremely worried” by the new assault. “We have been very clear from the very beginning when these plans were presented that any change by force of territory would be a breach of international law,” she said.

US Secretary of State Rubio arrived in Doha a week after Israel carried out strikes against Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital, drawing international condemnation.

His visit comes a day after Gulf states pledged to activate a joint defence pact as Arab and Islamic leaders stood in solidarity against Israel’s attack during an emergency summit in Qatar.

En route to Doha, Rubio told reporters he would urge Qatar to continue playing a “constructive role” in the negotiations after the Israeli attack, which the Gulf nation called “cowardly and treacherous”.

“Obviously, they have to decide if they want to do that after last week or not, but we want them to know that if there’s any country in the world that could help end this through a negotiation, it’s Qatar,” he said.

But Rubio warned that time was running out to secure a deal as Israel intensified its bombardments of Gaza City, killing dozens of people in the urban centre and destroying numerous residential buildings as it pushes forward with plans to seize the besieged territory.

“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. We don’t have months any more, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks to go,” Rubio said.

“Our number one choice is that this ends through a negotiated settlement,” Rubio said, while repeating his stance on Monday in Israel that the Palestinian group needed to “cease to exist”.

Rubio, later on Tuesday held talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as the US and Qatar are close to finalising an enhanced defence cooperation agreement, according to the US diplomat

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, said bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between Qatar and the US were discussed in the talks. The attack on Doha and the repercussions of the Israeli war on Gaza were a key part of the meeting.

“Our relations with the United States are strategic, especially on the defence level, and this was part of the discussion during his (Rubio) visit ....We are determined to defend our sovereignty and take measures to prevent any recurrence of any attack,” he added.

Al-Ansari also noted that Qatar appreciates the stance of Arab and Islamic countries in solidarity with the country.

The US secretary of state’s visit to Qatar comes at a critical time of friction in the wake of the Israeli attack.

On Monday, Rubio affirmed the unwavering US support for Israel at a news conference in West Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Later that day after Netanyahu refused to rule out another strike on Qatar to assassinate the Hamas leaders involved in the ceasefire negotiations, US President Donald Trump insisted in the Oval Office that Netanyahu “won’t be doing that again”.

Still, Rubio told reporters that the US and Qatar have a “close partnership”.

“In fact, we have an enhanced defence cooperation agreement, which we’ve been working on, we’re on the verge of finalising,” he said. – Agencies