Israel announced early Tuesday that it had launched an “intense” ground operation in Gaza City — striking with “an iron fist” to destroy Hamas and force the terrorist group to free its remaining hostages.

“Gaza is burning,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said after confirming that troops had gone in.

“The IDF strikes with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure, and IDF soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.

“We will not relent and we will not go back — until the completion of the mission.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed the military had launched an “intense operation,” with a spokesperson saying Israel “is at a critical stage in this struggle and there are consequences.”

Two IDF divisions consisting of thousands of troops began the expanded ground operation in the embattled city overnight as the army began a “new stage” against Hamas, the military said, according to the Times of Israel.

A third division is expected to join in the coming days as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began with intensified airstrikes in the area weeks ago.

Ground troops plan to push deeper into the city and encircle it to eliminate Hamas forces there.

Speaking to reporters after the operation began, President Trump said he “doesn’t know too much” about the ground offensive and was waiting to see how it would play out. 

The president also warned Hamas against using the remaining 48 hostages as human shields, telling the terror group that they “will have hell to pay” if they do. 

Hamas has previously threatened to kill the hostages if Israeli troops are spotted nearby, with the terror group believed to be holding the captives in parts of Gaza City. 

The IDF told local reporters it would “do its best” to ensure the hostages’ safety during the incursion.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who had initially opposed the operation over concerns of the hostages’ and his soldiers’ safety, said locating the captives remained a priority. 

“All our operations are carried out according to an orderly plan, with the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas before our eyes,” Zamir said in a statement. 

Airstrikes battered parts of Gaza City overnight as troops began advancing into areas previously outside Israeli control, the military said.

Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the IDF’s Arab media division, said on X that the army had started “destroying Hamas’s infrastructure in Gaza City.”

“Gaza City is considered a dangerous combat zone, and staying in the area puts you at risk,” Adraee wrote. He urged Palestinians to join “the more than 40% of the city’s residents” who have already evacuated.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Israelis “have begun to take operations” in Gaza City as he departed Israel for Doha on Tuesday morning — and emphasized that the window was closing for a peace deal to be reached.

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

“Our preference, our number one choice, is that this ends through a negotiated settlement,” he continued. “At some point, this has to end. At some point, Hamas has to be defanged, and we hope it can happen through a negotiation. But I think time, unfortunately, is running out.”

While the US supported the operation, the ground offensive into Gaza City has been slammed by the European Union, with the EU’s top foreign affairs officer condemning Israel’s actions. 

“It will mean more death, more destruction and more displacement,” Kaja Kallas wrote on X, warning that the EU will present new measures to pressure Israel “to change course over the war in Gaza.” 

Some 600,000 people remain in the decimated city, which was once home to more than 2 million, according to the Times of Israel. 

The military estimates that thousands of Hamas operatives are hiding out there.

In just the past week, the Israeli air force struck over 850 targets and hundreds of operatives in Gaza City, the IDF said.

The IDF said Monday night it eliminated 21 senior weapons experts and field operatives from the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization, which participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The IDF also eliminated five operatives with specialized knowledge of arms production, officials said.

Israeli officials believe as many as 20 living hostages are still being held by Hamas as well as the remains of 28 others some 711 days since the war began.

Among the dead are Israeli-Americans Alexander Neutra, 22, and Itay Chen, 19. 

Following the incursion into Gaza, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum set up a protest camp outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, stating that they will hold a demonstration 24/7 until a cease-fire deal is reached. 

With Post wires