TUNIS, September 17. /TASS/. The broadening of Israel’s operation in Gaza City puts millions of Palestinian lives at risk and will aggravate the humanitarian catastrophe, Presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said.

"The Israeli occupation forces' launch of a large-scale aggression on Gaza City constitutes a dangerous escalation that threatens the lives of millions of Palestinians and will deepen the humanitarian catastrophe," he said in a statement, published by the WAFA news agency.

"We call on the US administration to shoulder its responsibilities and not encourage the occupation to continue its comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people," he added.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that his country’s troops have launched the active phase of their offensive operation in Gaza City, the Palestinian enclave’s administrative center. The Quds portal close to Palestinian radicals said that at least 79 people have been killed since Tuesday morning in Gaza City alone.