Israel army issues evacuation warning for parts of north Gaza
Israel's military issued Sunday an evacuation order for the northern Gaza Strip, warning Palestinians in parts of Gaza City and nearby areas of imminent action there, more than 20 months into the war with Hamas.
Israeli forces "will operate with intense force in these areas, and these military operations will intensify and expand... to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations", military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement posted on X alongside a map of northern Gaza, telling residents to "evacuate immediately south to Al-Mawasi" for safety.
AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
MTV Lebanon
2 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Israel orders evacuations in northern Gaza as Trump calls for war to end
The Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza on Sunday before intensified fighting against Hamas, as U.S. President Donald Trump called for an end to the war amid renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire. "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold talks later in the day on the progress of Israel's offensive. A senior security official said the military will tell him the campaign is close to reaching its objectives, and warn that expanding fighting to new areas in Gaza may endanger the remaining Israeli hostages. But in a statement posted on X and text messages sent to many residents, the military urged people in northern parts of the enclave to head south towards the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which Israel designated as a humanitarian area. Palestinian and U.N. officials say nowhere in Gaza is safe. "The (Israeli) Defense Forces is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organizations," the military said. The evacuation order covered the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts. Medics and residents said the Israeli army's bombardments escalated in the early hours in Jabalia, destroying several houses and killing at least six people. In Khan Younis in the south, five people were killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment near Mawasi, medics said. At least 12 other people were killed in separate Israeli military strikes and gunfire across the enclave, taking Sunday's death toll to at least 23, medics said. At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, relatives arrived to pay their respects to white-shrouded bodies before they are buried. "A month ago, they (Israel) told us to go to Al-Mawasi (in Khan Younis) and we stayed there for a month, it is a safe zone," said Zeyad Abu Marouf. He said three of his children were killed and a fourth was wounded in the Israeli airstrike. "We ask God and the Arabs to move and end this occupation and the injustice taking place against us,' Abu Marouf told Reuters. NEW CEASEFIRE PUSH The military escalation comes as Arab mediators, Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, begin a new ceasefire effort to halt the 20-month-old conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages still being held by Hamas. Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has heightened following U.S. and Israeli bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities. There has also been rising concern over how aid is being distributed to Gazans in the ruined enclave. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month in the vicinity of areas where food was being handed out, local hospitals and officials have said. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had informed the mediators it was ready to resume ceasefire talks, but reaffirmed the group's outstanding demands that any deal must end the war and secure an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal territory. Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, only in a deal that will end the war. Israel says it can only end the war if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
LBCI
10 hours ago
- LBCI
Political earthquake in Israel: Trump boldly intervenes in Netanyahu trial
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Israel woke up Sunday to what many described as a political earthquake shaking the foundations of the country's judiciary and democratic image. This time, the turmoil was not triggered by threats to the ruling coalition or pressure from religious hardliners but by an unprecedented intervention from former U.S. President Donald Trump. In a statement issued at dawn, Trump openly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing corruption trial, warning that the legal proceedings could undermine Netanyahu's ability to negotiate with Hamas and Iran. Trump effectively linked Netanyahu's political survival to Israel's military and diplomatic priorities, suggesting that clearing Netanyahu of charges is a necessary step to end the Gaza war and maintain U.S. military support for Israel. Trump, eager to secure a Middle East deal that could pave his way to a Nobel Peace Prize, has pushed to remove any obstacles to what he envisions as a comprehensive regional agreement. His outspoken defense of Netanyahu, who faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, has deepened internal divisions in Israel, with critics describing Trump's remarks as a political bombshell that turned Netanyahu into a pawn in Trump's broader strategic ambitions. In response to growing tensions, Israeli judges postponed Netanyahu's trial sessions for the coming week, citing classified security briefings from the heads of Mossad and Military Intelligence. As Netanyahu chaired an emergency cabinet meeting focused on the Gaza war and ongoing efforts to secure a hostage deal, political sources downplayed the likelihood of breakthroughs before Netanyahu travels to Washington in two weeks. The only tangible progress expected in the short term is the expansion of the Abraham Accords. Talks are reportedly advancing with three countries: Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. Ahead of the high-stakes Netanyahu-Trump meeting, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is scheduled to visit Washington on Monday to discuss the Abraham Accords and hostage negotiations. Meanwhile, all eyes remain on Netanyahu's trial, which has been temporarily delayed but continues to cast a shadow over Israel's political landscape.
LBCI
10 hours ago
- LBCI
Iran-Israel war opens way to 'new road' for Mideast: US envoy
The Iran-Israel war has opened the way to a "new road" for the Middle East in which Turkey will have a key role to play, Washington's envoy to Turkey said Sunday. "What just happened between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say: Time out. Let's create a new road, (and) Turkey is key in that new road," Ambassador Tom Barrack, who is also the U.S. special envoy to Syria, told the Anadolu state news agency. AFP
