Israeli defence minister says Gaza City could be destroyed

Israel is gearing up for a new offensive (AP)

Israel’s defence minister has warned that Gaza City could be destroyed unless Hamas accepts Israel’s terms, as the country prepares for an expanded offensive in the area.

A day after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorise the military to seize Gaza City, defence minister Israel Katz warned that the enclave’s largest city could “turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun” – areas reduced to rubble earlier in the war.