Intense Israeli bombardment and the Defense Minister declares the Gaza Strip "is burning."

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

**Arabian Sea_Agence France-Presse:** The city of Gaza was subjected to intense Israeli bombardment early Tuesday, according to eyewitnesses to Agence France-Presse, the day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Hebrew state to express the United States' "steadfast" support for it. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Gaza was "burning," warning that his country "will not back down." Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Gaza, said that "the bombing is still continuing heavily on the city of Gaza and the number of martyrs and injuries is increasing." He added: "There are martyrs, wounded, and missing under the rubble as a result of the occupation aircraft targeting a residential square in the vicinity of Al-Shawa Square" early Tuesday, describing the strike as a "major massacre." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Gaza is "burning," warning that his country "will not back down," adding that the Israeli army is "striking the infrastructure of terrorism with an iron fist, and the soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas. We will not stop and we will not back down until we complete our mission."