The Israel Defense Forces entered Gaza City on Tuesday in an offensive meant to rescue remaining hostages and remove Hamas from power
Hamas will “have Hell to pay” if it uses any remaining Israeli hostages as human shields on the battlefield, President Donald Trump warned as the Jewish state mobilized a massive ground operation in Gaza City.
“They’re going to be in big trouble,” Trump said Tuesday, citing reports Hamas has moved hostages above ground in hopes Israel errantly kills them. “They’re going to use the hostages as human shields.”
“If they put the hostages in front of them, Hamas is going to have Hell to pay,” Trump continued, repeating the sentiments of a Monday Truth Social post.
Hamas officials lashed out shortly after Trump spoke, saying his remarks show “blatant bias in favor of Zionist propaganda.” The terror group also accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “sabotaging” ceasefire talks last week by launching a surprise attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar.
“War criminal Netanyahu bears full responsibility for the lives of his prisoners in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas leaders said in a statement. “Washington knows that Netanyahu is sabotaging the chances of any agreement, most recently by attempting to assassinate the negotiating delegation in Qatar while they were discussing Trump’s final deal.”
Netanyahu, meanwhile, publicly thanked Trump for his support in a Tuesday post on X.
“Thank you President Trump for your unflinching support for Israel’s battle against Hamas and the release of all our hostages,” the Israeli prime minister wrote.
Trump’s fresh warning to Hamas came hours after Israel unleashed a fresh offensive in Gaza City, “the central hub of Hamas’s military and governing power,” according to the Israel Defense Forces. The operation marks “the start of the new phase” in Israel’s ongoing effort to topple the terror group, rescue the 48 remaining hostages, and liberate Gaza’s civilian population. Thousands of reservist soldiers are now working alongside regular troops to seize control of Gaza City.
Israeli forces launched “coordinated and precise strikes” around the city using “air, ground, and intelligence” assets, the IDF said in a Tuesday briefing.
Soldiers marched into Gaza City with air and sea support, opening fire on “dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites,” including military outposts, observation sites, and “booby-trapped structures intended to harm the troops,” according to the IDF, with the Jewish state striking more than 850 targets across Gaza City in the past week alone.
“Hamas has turned Gaza City into the largest human shield in history,” IDF spokesman Effie Defrin said. “Beneath the streets runs a vast network of tunnels, connecting command centers, rocket launchers, and weapons storage facilities—all deliberately hidden under civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Israel’s two primary objectives in Gaza City, Defrin said, are rescuing the hostages, and removing Hamas from power.
“Hamas continues to hold dozens of our hostages in inhumane conditions,” Defrin continued. “Their safe return is at the forefront of our mission. They are the reason we continue our fight. Our forces are acting with determination, guided by the clear moral duty to free our hostages and end Hamas’s rule of terror.”
During a Tuesday situational assessment with commanders inside the Gaza Strip, Israeli military leaders said the offensive—dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariots II—will “decisively defeat the Gaza City brigade.”
“The threat has changed, but so have we; we come better prepared,” Israeli chief of the general staff Eyal Zamir proclaimed in televised remarks. “This is a move of decisive importance for the continuation of the war.”
Unlike previous operations inside Gaza, Israel is now advancing deep inside hostile territory, “combining ground troops, precision strikes, and high-quality intelligence,” Zamir said in a subsequent Tuesday afternoon statement. “Our objective is to enhance the strikes on Hamas until its decisive defeat.”
Hamas, Zamir added, “has been struck and weakened; we have defeated its core military power, and now we are expanding the achievement that will bring the end of the war closer.”
As the fighting in Gaza City ramped up, Israeli fighter jets also entered Yemeni airspace to target Houthi military installations responsible for firing missiles at the Jewish state.
