Israel intensified its ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, vowing to overwhelm a city where thousands of Palestinians fled in vehicles laden with mattresses and belongings, clogging a coastal road. The military gave no timeline for the assault, which it said aims to crush Hamas’s fighting capability, though Israeli media suggested the operation could last months. At least 106 people were killed in Israeli strikes that day, including 91 in Gaza City.

The offensive began the same day independent experts commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the report as “distorted and false.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres stopped short of labeling the situation as genocide but called it “horrendous,” noting Israel’s determination to “go up to the end” in its campaign and its unwillingness to seriously negotiate peace.

Despite the renewed assault, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received another invitation to the White House. He announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump invited him for a visit on September 29, following Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly. This will mark Netanyahu’s fourth visit since Trump took office.