Israel prepares to move Palestinians to southern Gaza ahead of offensive
The military said it had no comment on when the mass movement of Palestinians would begin, but Defence Minister Israel Katz said on social media that 'we are now in the stage of discussions to finalise the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza'.
Meanwhile, anxious families of Israeli hostages called for a 'nationwide day of stoppage' in Israel on Sunday to express growing frustration over 22 months of war.
Families of hostages fear the coming offensive further endangers the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza, just 20 of them thought to still be alive.
The families and supporters have pressed the government for a deal to stop the war – a call that some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs have also made in recent weeks.
'I want to believe that there is hope, and it will not come from above, it will come only from us,' said Dana Silberman Sitton, sister of Shiri Bibas and aunt of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were killed in captivity.
She spoke at a weekly rally in Tel Aviv, along with Pushpa Joshi, sister of kidnapped Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi, a student seized from a kibbutz.
'I miss my best friend,' Pushpa said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Six O'Clock News European Leaders Prepare to Accompany Zelensky to Washington
Sir Keir Starmer and several other senior European leaders are to join the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Washington tomorrow, where he's due to hold talks with Donald Trump at the White House. Downing Street said the "coalition of the willing" would seek robust security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of any deal with Russia. In other news, there have been dozens of arrests in Israel where protestors have taken to the streets demanding a ceasefire and a deal to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. And the British actor, Terence Stamp, has died at the age of 87.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Tens of thousands of protesters gather in Tel Aviv to demand end to Gaza war
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages, one of the largest demonstrations in Israel since the start of the fighting in October 2023. The rally on Sunday evening was the culmination of a day of nationwide protests and a general strike to pressure the government to halt the military campaign. 'Bring them all home! Stop the war!' shouted the vast crowd, which had converged on the so-called Hostage Square in Tel Aviv plaza – a focal point for protesters throughout the war. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the initiator of the day of protest, estimated that about 500,000 people joined the demonstration in Tel Aviv – a figure not confirmed by the police. 'We demand a comprehensive and achievable agreement and an end to the war,' said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan and a leading figure of the protest movement. 'We demand what is rightfully ours – our children. The Israeli government has transformed a just war into a pointless war.' National media published a video message by Matan Zangauker on Sunday, in which the hostage, weak and emaciated, addressed his family and told them he missed them. The video was filmed by Hamas and found in Gaza by the army, the family said. 'This is probably the last minute we have to save the hostages,' demonstrator Ofir Penso, 50, told AFP. The protests come more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City, 22 months into a war that has created a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group vowed on Sunday that protesters would 'shut down the country' with the goal of bringing back the hostages and ending the war. Throughout Israel, demonstrators blocked traffic arteries, set tyres on fire and clashed with the police. More than 30 protesters were arrested, law enforcement said. Netanyahu criticised the protesters, saying their actions 'not only harden Hamas's position and draw out the release of our hostages, but also ensure that the horrors of 7 October will reoccur'. Egypt said in recent days mediators were leading a renewed push to secure a 60-day truce deal that includes hostages being released, after the last round of talks in Qatar ended without a breakthrough. Some Israeli government members who oppose any deal with Hamas hit out at Sunday's demonstrations. Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, decried a 'perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas' and calls for 'surrender'. However, Benny Gantz, an opposition leader, condemned the government for 'attacking the families of the hostages' while 'bearing responsibility for the captivity of their children by Hamas for nearly two years'. Israel's military offensive has killed at least 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, most of them civilians. The figure does not include the thousands believed to be buried under rubble or the thousands killed indirectly as a consequence of the war.
.jpg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C0%2C0%2C0%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Israeli frustration over the war in Gaza erupts into fierce protests
Israeli protesters demanding a deal to free hostages in Gaza attempted to shut down the country Sunday in one of the largest and fiercest protests in 22 months of war. Organisers, representing the families of hostages, claimed that hundreds of thousands of people took part. It follows frustration in Israel over plans for a new military offensive in some of Gaza's most populated areas. Many Israelis fear that could further endanger the remaining hostages. Twenty of the 50 who remain are believed to be alive. "We live between a terrorist organization that holds our children and a government that refuses to release them for political reasons," said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held in Gaza. Protesters gathered at dozens of places including outside politicians' homes, military headquarters and on major highways. They blocked lanes and lit bonfires. Some restaurants and theatres closed in solidarity. Police said they arrested 38 people. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is balancing competing pressures including the potential for mutiny within his coalition. "Those who today call for an end to the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas' position and delaying the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of Oct. 7 will be repeated," he said, referencing the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and sparked the war. The last time Israel agreed to a ceasefire that released some hostages earlier this year, far-right members of his cabinet threatened to topple Netanyahu's government. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called Sunday's demonstrations "a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas' hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future." The new offensive would require the call-up of thousands of reservists, another concern for many Israelis. Hospitals and witnesses in Gaza said Israeli forces killed at least 17 aid-seekers on Sunday, including nine awaiting UN aid trucks close to the Morag corridor. Israel's air and ground war has killed more than 61,900 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. Two children and five adults died of malnutrition-related causes Sunday, according to the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. The UN has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Most aid has been blocked from entering Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade in March after ending a ceasefire. Deliveries have since partially resumed, though aid organizations say the flow is far below what is needed. It is not clear when Israel's military will begin the new offensive in crowded Gaza City, Muwasi and what Mr Netanyahu has called the "central camps" of Gaza. The military body that coordinates its humanitarian aid to Gaza, Cogat, this weekend noted plans to forcibly evacuate people from combat zones to southern Gaza "for their protection'.
