Netanyahu calls Gaza invasion “decisive” phase of war 

September 17, 2025

Israel launched a full-scale ground assault on Gaza City this week, marking a new and intense phase in the two-year conflict with Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the operation as a major military move and said it was intended to dismantle Hamas’s hold on the city and create conditions for the release of hostages. The Israeli military said its forces had begun operations to destroy Hamas infrastructure in Gaza City.

Israeli ground units moved into Gaza City late Monday evening, with army sources saying troops entered from the west and began taking control of significant central sectors. Israeli reporting named the 162nd and 98th divisions among the formations now operating inside the city and said additional divisions would join operations over the coming days. Military briefings cited by Israeli outlets described the move as the start of the “main phase” of a planned offensive. The military’s Arabic-language messages and public statements urged civilians to leave Gaza City and move south. Israel said it had ordered roughly 1 million people sheltering in the city to evacuate. Both Israeli and Palestinian authorities gave differing estimates of how many people had moved; the IDF said several hundred thousand had left, with figures cited in the media ranging from about 250,000 to 350,000 people displaced since bombardment intensified in recent days. The military framed the evacuation order as a measure to reduce civilian casualties ahead of ground operations.

The ground offensive followed weeks of intensive bombardment from air, artillery and naval forces and comes as Gaza faces an acute humanitarian emergency. United Nations-backed food security experts declared famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas in August, warning of widespread starvation and avoidable deaths. Humanitarian agencies and medical authorities report severe shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel, and international relief groups have warned that further population movement will strain already overwhelmed shelters and aid channels. Families of hostages and some Israeli officials expressed sharp concern that a ground assault could endanger captives still held in the enclave. Relatives of hostages staged protests outside the prime minister’s residence and urged negotiators to prioritise safe release agreements. Independent observers and humanitarian organisations warned that an expanded ground campaign would almost certainly deepen civilian suffering across Gaza and complicate relief operations.

Israeli military and intelligence assessments released to the press have acknowledged uncertainty about Hamas’s remaining combat capability inside Gaza City. Some Israeli sources estimate that a few thousand well-armed fighters remain ready to resist, while also warning that Hamas could mobilise many more irregular or lightly trained personnel from reserve networks and underground tunnel structures. Military briefings emphasised that urban combat against entrenched fighters and subterranean positions is likely to be prolonged and hazardous.

Israeli officials have called up large numbers of reservists in recent weeks and said multiple divisions will be employed in the Gaza City operation. Military spokespeople have described the campaign as methodical and stated it will continue until commanders judge the stated objectives have been met. At the same time, several briefings and independent reports note that the timetable may be uncertain and that the scale and duration of fighting will depend on resistance on the ground and developments in diplomacy and hostage negotiations.

The offensive adds to an already complex diplomatic and humanitarian picture. International bodies, regional governments and aid agencies have called for measures to protect civilians and maintain humanitarian access. Israel has said it will attempt to direct movement to designated southern areas it describes as humanitarian zones, while aid groups stress that those zones are crowded and underprepared to receive large numbers of displaced people.

The entry of Israeli ground forces into Gaza City marks a critical and unpredictable phase of the conflict. Officials and analysts warn that the coming days will determine whether the operation meets its military aims and how severely it will affect civilians, hostages and aid access. The immediate focus for humanitarian agencies is to expand lifesaving relief and to protect civilians caught in the fighting while diplomatic channels continue to seek arrangements that might limit the scale of hostilities.