The Israeli military on Tuesday began the “main phase” of its ground offensive, aiming to fully seize Gaza City as thousands of residents fled in vehicles
packed with their belongings. Vehicles piled high with mattresses and other belongings jammed the coastal road as thousands of Palestinians fled, while hundreds of thousands remained behind. Israel said it struck a military infrastructure site in its latest attack on Yemen's Houthi movement at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah. The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. IDF further accused Houthis of using the port fot the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranina regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies. “12 Israeli enemy air strikes targeted the port of Hodeida,” the Houti-run ‘ Al-Masirah television reported. Meanwhile, Yemeni military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group's air defences were engaged in a confrontation with “Israeli enemy aircraft launching an aggression against our country,” according to the AFP report. The operation into the largest Palestinian city further escalates a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach. The military wouldn’t offer a timeline for the offensive, which it says aims to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” but Israeli media suggested it could take months. It coincided with a report from independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, a claim Israel dismissed as “distorted and false.” As the operation began, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz proclaimed that “Gaza is burning,” while intense bombardment pounded the city through the night and into the morning.
