Hundreds of thousands of people remained in the city with hardly anywhere to go. Israel said the ground operation, after nearly two years of war, was needed to keep Hamas militants from regrouping.
Some of Israel’s oldest allies condemned its military offensive into Gaza City on Tuesday, warning that the operation would worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the territory.
Britain’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, denounced the decision and called the operation “utterly reckless and appalling.”
