Israel announces plan to move Palestinians to southern Gaza – DW – 08/16/2025
Israel's military announced on Saturday that it would move Palestinians to the southern Gaza Strip ahead of a renewed offensive.
The announcement comes days after Israel said it would launch an offensive to take control of northern Gaza City.
The Israeli military agency in charge of civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, known as COGAT, said that the the supply of tents to Gaza would resume on Sunday.
It said that the shelter equipment would be transported via the Kerem Shalom crossing by the United Nations and international aid organizations after inspection by Israeli Defense Ministry personnel.
Israel's military did not specify when the movement of Palestinians would begin.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that "we are now in the stage of discussions to finalize the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza."
Israeli forces have increased operations on the outskirts of Gaza City, including in the Zeitoun and Shejaiya neighborhoods.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Palestinians would be moved into what he described as "safe zones." He also described Gaza City as the final stronghold of the Hamas militant group.
Gaza City was the most populous urban center in the Palestinian enclave until most of its population was displaced in Israel's offensive.
Meanwhile, a group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza urged Israelis to take to the streets on Sunday and call for an agreement leading to an end to the war and the release of all remaining hostages.
Some 251 people were taken hostage in Hamas' attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli authorities, 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are still alive.
Around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the attacks.
Israel's ensuing offensive in Gaza has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, with independent studies saying the toll could much higher.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
Tens Of Thousands Of Israelis Protest For End To Gaza War
Clutching pictures of hostages, waving yellow flags, banging on snare drums and shouting chants to bring captive Israelis home, tens of thousands took to Tel Aviv's streets Sunday to call for an end to the war in Gaza. "We're here to make it very clear to the Israeli government that this is probably the last minute we have to save the hostages that are being held in the Hamas tunnels for almost 700 days," Ofir Penso, a 50-year-old Arabic teacher, told AFP. Demonstrations have been held regularly through most of the 22 months of war in the wake of the Hamas attacks in 2023, but Sunday's protests appeared to be one of the largest yet. The renewed energy of the movement came with the government deciding just over a week ago to seize Gaza City and nearby camps in a new offensive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow to conquer the most populated swathes of the Gaza Strip has triggered an international backlash while aid agencies and UN experts have warned of unfolding famine in the territory. Recent video footage released by Palestinian militants showed hostages heavily emaciated and pale -- spurring fears that the captives' health is more fragile than ever. Many in the crowd wore makeshift patches on their shirts made with pieces of tape with the number 681 -- the number of days the hostages have been held captive in Gaza -- scrawled in marker pen. Of the 251 people taken hostage by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 remain in the Gaza Strip, including 27 the Israeli military has said are dead. Snaking along downtown streets, shadowed by glass towers, the crowd converged on Tel Aviv's Hostage Square -- the focal point of movement. "The Israeli government has never offered a genuine initiative for a comprehensive agreement and an end to the war," Einav Tzangauker, whose son Matan is being held captive in Gaza, told the crowd. "We demand a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war. We demand what is rightfully ours -- our children." The war has also touched on other frustrations for many who took to the streets. "The whole country is fighting with each other, our image around the world has completely changed, worse than it ever was, and enough is enough," Nick, a 31-year-old tech worker, told AFP, asking not to use his last name. Others worried about the fate of their own children enlisted in the Israeli military who had been sent to Gaza and feared that they might soon be recalled to fight. "We are hoping and praying that our government will hear us and listen to us," said Ella Kaufman from Kadima Zoran, who has two sons serving as officers in the Israeli army. "I'm also a concerned mother." While thousands took to the streets, there were others in Tel Aviv who hoped for an end to the war but in different circumstances. "No, I won't be protesting against Bibi, because I think that he has to finish the work, he has to finish the war," said Patrick Menache, a 69-year-old real estate investor in Tel Aviv, using a common nickname for Netanyahu. Nevertheless, he admitted the war had taken a toll. "Everybody is tired, the hostages are tired, the families are tired, the Palestinians are tired, everybody is tired." There are fears about the wellbeing of the remaining hostages, who have been held in Gaza for nearly two years AFP
DW
9 hours ago
- DW
Middle East: Israelis call for hostage deal, end to war – DW – 08/17/2025
Protests have been held across Israel as the government continues its war against Hamas. The US says it is suspending visas for "individuals from Gaza." DW has US government said on Saturday it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza while it conducts "a full and thorough" review. The move, which will stop injured children from Gaza being brought to the US for medical treatment, comes after posts by influential far-right figure Laura Loomer alleged that Gazans entering the country on special visas had links to Hamas. You can read the full story here: US suspends medical visas for Gazans after far-right posts Israel's military said Sunday it had struck an "energy infrastructure site" in Yemen used by the Houthi rebels, an attack it said was conducted "in response to repeated attacks" by the Iran-backed group. A statement said Israeli forces "struck... deep inside Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site that served the Houthi terrorist regime" somewhere near the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which is in rebel hands. The statement did not name the site, but Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported "an aggression targeting the Haziz power plant" south of Sanaa, citing civil defense agencies. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Since Israel began its Gaza offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023 in response to a deadly attack on Israel, the Houthis have regularly fired missiles and drones at Israel, saying their actions are in solidarity with Palestinians. Israel has intercepted most Houthi attacks but has carried out a series of airstrikes in Yemen targeting the group. Demonstrators took to the streets across Israel on Sunday, with Tel Aviv a focus for protests calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to release hostages still held by militants in the Palestinian enclave. Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked several roads in the city, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while a huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in so-called Hostage Square. Protest organizers and the main campaign group representing the families of hostages also called a general strike that caused many businesses to close. Protesters say they fear further fighting could endanger the hostages still thought to be in Gaza. Police employed water cannon and made more than two dozen arrests for "disruption of order" during the protests. The demonstrations were condemned by some members of the Israeli goverment, with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying public pressure to obtain a deal "buries the hostages in tunnels and seeks to push the State of Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future." The protests come after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to seize Gaza City as the Israeli military continues its more than 22-month offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The offensive was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 17, 2023, in which 251 people were taken hostage in addition to the some 1,200 killed. Forty-nine of the hostages remain in Gaza, 27 of whom are dead, according to the Israeli military. DW is covering the Middle East, as Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza continues to have repercussions throughout the region and beyond. Sunday has seen widespread protests in Israel against the war, with demonstrators saying the ongoing fighting is hampering efforts to bring home hostages held in Gaza by Palestinian militants. Our blog, which contains reports, analysis and backgrounders from our newsroom and correspondents.
DW
11 hours ago
- DW
US suspends medical visas for Gazans after far-right posts – DW – 08/17/2025
The US says it is halting medical-humanitarian visas for people from Gaza after a far-right figure claimed they were a threat to the country. The move will prevent wounded Palestinians coming to the US for treatment. The US government said on Saturday it was halting all visitor visas for people from from Gaza while it conducts "a full and thorough" review. "All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days," the State Department, headed by Marco Rubio, wrote on X. The move comes after far-right influencer Laura Loomer posted claims on social media that some Palestinians issued with medical-humanitarian visas to the US were "pro-HAMAS ... affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar," without providing evidence. Her posts were written after the US-based charity HEAL Palestine last week said it had brought 11 critically wounded Gazan children, together with their caregivers and siblings, to the US for medical treatment. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Loomer holds no official position but has shown a significant power to influence the Trump administration and the Republican party, among other things bringing about the sacking of several senior US security officials after claiming they were disloyal to the president. She is known for spreading far-right conspiracy theories, such as claiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US were an inside job and that the Parkland high school shooting and the Santa Fe High School shooting were staged. "Truly unacceptable," Loomer wrote of the issued visas in one X post. "Someone needs to be fired at @StateDept when @marcorubio figures out who approved the visas." "Qatar transported these GAZANS into the US via @qatarairways," she said, adding that Qatar was "literally flooding our country with jihadis." She also shared videos of badly wounded Palestinian children arriving in the US this month with their families, claiming that they were uttering "jihadi chants," whereas they seemed rather to be shouting out with joy that they had arrived safely. Several of the posts targeted HEAL Palestine, which said it had carried out "the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US" with its transport. Republican Congressman Randy Fine praised Loomer after the visa change was announced. "Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura," Fine wrote on X. However, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, another US-based charity, called on the Trump administration to "reverse this dangerous and inhumane decision." "This policy will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment — a mission that has defined our work for more than 30 years," it said in a statement. "Medical evacuations are a lifeline for the children of Gaza who would otherwise face unimaginable suffering or death due to the collapse of medical infrastructure in Gaza," it said. The Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned the move to suspend visas, calling it another sign of the "intentional cruelty" of the Trump administration. Gaza's medical infrastructure has been devastated amid the Israeli offensive triggered by a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken. According to Gaza health officials, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive.
