Israel has launched a large-scale ground operation in Gaza City overnight, marking a dramatic escalation in the nearly two-year-long war in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the "significant" new assault, saying it followed days of heavy aerial bombardment. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 60,000 reservists had been called up to support the offensive, as reported by NBC News.
The assault comes as an independent United Nations inquiry issued a landmark finding accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza — a charge Israel has denounced as "false and distorted," according to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
