“We have begun an intensive operation in Gaza City,” Netanyahu stated in the courtroom.
The announcement coincided with a violent Israeli raids on Gaza, where Palestinians endured a night of heavy air and artillery strikes.
Netanyahu appeared again in the Tel Aviv District Court Tuesday morning to respond to corruption charges against him. He faces accusations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate corruption cases.
Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and devastated the enclave, which faces famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.