Israel pounds Gaza, Israeli defence minister Katz: 'Gaza is burning.'

Israel defence minister Israel Katz wrote 'Gaza is burning,' while US top diplomat Marco Rubio warned a negotiated settlement is urgently needed as 'time is running out.'

Gaza came under heavy bombing overnight into Monday, as Israel launched a barrage of strikes towards Gaza City, the Strip's biggest city.Israeli defence minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Tuesday that "Gaza is burning," reaffirming Israel's stance that it will not back down "until the completion of the mission.It comes amid reports that Israel launched its intensive operation on the northern Gazan city, and US top diplomat Marco Rubio warning there is now only a "short window of time in which a deal can happen."“We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks so it's a key moment, an important moment,” the US Secretary of State said, speaking to journalists before his departure to Qatar.Rubio acknowledged the dangers Israel's intensified military campaign posed to Gaza, and said the US would like to see a negotiated settlement soon.“The only thing worse than a war is a protracted one that goes on forever and ever,” Rubio said. “At some point, this has to end. At some point, Hamas has to be defanged, and we hope it can happen through a negotiation. But I think time, unfortunately, is running out.”