Residents of Gaza City say they are being subjected to “heavy, relentless” bombardment amid reports that Israel’s military has begun its ground offensive to occupy the northern urban centre. Leaders from across the Arab and Islamic world have met in the Qatari capital, Doha, and condemned Israel’s “cowardly” attack on Qatar as well as its “genocide” in Gaza.

United States President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House, has repeated his assertion that Israel will not be attacking Qatar again. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 64,871 people and wounded 164,610 since October 2023. Thousands more are believed to be under the rubble. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

We’ve been speaking to Palestinians in Gaza City who were displaced by Israel’s bombing of the tallest residential building in the city, al-Ghafri Tower.

One young man said the bombing has displaced hundreds of people. “People moved to the coast and onto the streets. They don’t know where to go,” he said. Another elderly man dismissed Israel’s claim the building was used by fighters and said Palestinians will not leave Gaza no matter what happens.

“Israel says it targeted this building for suspicious activity. But since the beginning of this war, it’s only been civilians living here. No political affiliations,” he said. “Despite what Israel is doing, we are not going to leave. No matter what happens. Even if they turn up with their tanks. We are not leaving.”

The US secretary of state has warned Hamas that it has only days to accept a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

“The Israelis have begun to take operations there. So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen,” Rubio told reporters as he left Israel for Qatar.

“We don’t have months any more, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks to go,” he said. “Our number one choice is that this ends through a negotiated settlement where Hamas says, ‘We’re going to demilitarise, we’re no longer going to pose a threat.’”

Rubio added that “if any country in the world can help mediate [the conflict], Qatar is the one”.

He met Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, backing the Israeli leader’s offensive in Gaza City and his stated goal of eradicating Hamas.