Israeli forces push into parts of a Gaza city that the war had largely spared
Deir al-Balah is the only Gaza city that has not seen major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, leading to speculation that the Hamas militant group holds large numbers of hostages there.
The main group representing hostages' families said it was 'shocked and alarmed' by the incursion, which was confirmed by an Israeli military official, and demanded answers from Israeli leaders.
Smoke and flames erupt from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City (Jehad Alshrafi/AP)
Israel says the seizure of territory in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages, but it is a major point of contention in ongoing ceasefire talks.
The UN food agency, meanwhile, accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend.
Gaza's Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war that has driven the territory to the brink of famine.
In the latest sign of international frustration, the United Kingdom, France and 23 other Western-aligned countries issued a statement saying 'the war in Gaza must end now'.
They harshly criticised Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid and called for the release of the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza.
Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in Deir al-Balah during repeated waves of mass displacement in Gaza.
Associated Press reporters heard explosions and saw smoke rising from parts of the city that were ordered evacuated on Sunday.
The Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was the first time ground troops had operated in the area.
A man living in the evacuation zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said Israel dropped pamphlets at dawn ordering people to evacuate. Two hours later, tanks rolled into the area.
He said his 62-year-old father, who had spent the night elsewhere, fled from house to house as Israeli forces moved in and saw them flattening structures with bulldozers and tanks. Both men managed to leave the evacuation zone.
The military declined to say if it had ordered the evacuation of aid groups based in the city, saying only that it maintains continuous contact with them and facilitates their relocation when necessary.
Israel has taken over large areas of Gaza and split the territory with corridors stretching from the border to the sea as it seeks to pressure Hamas to release more hostages.
In response to the Deir al-Balah incursion, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum warned in its statement that 'the people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages — both the living and the deceased. No one will be able to claim they didn't know what was at stake'.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people.
Less than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.
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2 hours ago
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Professional servants of democratically elected leaders, such as Lt Gen Zamir and those under him, are caught in the middle. This was perhaps best demonstrated this month by his opposition to a scheme of Israel Katz, the defence minister, to order the entire civilian population of Gaza into a so-called 'humanitarian city' built on the ruins of the southern city of Rafah. The military chief was reportedly anxious to protect his officers from potential complicity in a war crime, amid outrage that the zone – described by former prime minister Ehud Olmert as resembling a 'concentration camp' – could be a precursor to forced population transfer. It would also put his troops, who would ultimately police the perimeter and facilitate the entry of aid, under significant practical pressure. 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The IDF has now captured 75pc of the Gaza Strip − the goal when it began Operation Gideon's Chariot, which started in May. Last week, it pushed into the town of Deir Al-Balah, the first time it is thought troops have deliberately sought to seize an area where intelligence indicated a high likelihood hostages are being held. The Gaza war is a long way past its culmination point Mr Netanyahu and his allies argue that leaving even remnants of Hamas intact in the strip would eventually precipitate another October 7-style massacre. They have so far rejected Arab proposals for an interim government to administer the enclave in the event of a permanent ceasefire. Gen Orion said: 'The Gaza war is a long way past its culmination point. 'Every military operation, like many human endeavours, has the rule of diminishing returns. 'At some point, great successes meet growing resistance and lose their efficiency. The costs rise and the benefits are lower. In Gaza, we are way past that point.' Although the true figures are closely guarded, some campaign groups and politicians believe the rate of attendance could be as low as 60pc. The majority are so-called 'grey refusals', who are people who plead medical problems, family issues or who simply go abroad during the call-up window and 'forget' to check their emails. Refusals on explicit political grounds are rarer but increasing, reflected in the growing number of public letters signed by reservists denouncing Mr Netanyahu's conduct of the war, and subsequent reprimands and dismissals. Accounts have emerged of officers frantically reaching out to reservists on social media, begging them to turn up, because their ranks are so depleted. At the same time, the acrimonious issue of Haredi conscription rumbles on, with Mr Netanyahu expected to give in on promises to force ultra-orthodox Jewish young men to turn up for military service. Mr Fiener's jail sentence was considered a relatively harsh penalty for refusal, given the maximum is 30 days. But he only served one night, as the prison was largely evacuated when Iran started firing ballistic missiles at Israel in June. Waiting to see if he will be recalled to jail, he believes the pictures and videos of what is happening in Gaza will further decrease the rate of call-up response. 'There are always a lot of people who are not sure if they are willing to go and every little thing can affect them,' he said.
