Israel tells medics to prepare for Gaza City evacuation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet security officials later to approve the military's plans despite widespread international and domestic opposition.He announced Israel's intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.
The Israeli military plans to evacuate Gaza City's entire population and move it to shelters in the south before troops move into the territory's largest urban area. As part of its preparations, it said, officers from military body Cogat carried out "initial warning calls" to medical officials and international organisations on Tuesday."The officers emphasised to the medical officials that adjustments are being made to the hospital infrastructure in the south of the Strip to receive the sick and wounded, alongside an increased entry of necessary medical equipment," a statement said.It quoted the officers as telling them in the calls: "We are going to provide you with a place to be in, whether it is a field hospital or any other hospital."However, Gaza's health ministry expressed its "rejection of any step that would undermine what remains of the health system after the systematic destruction carried out by the occupation [Israeli] authorities"."Such a step would deprive more than one million people of their right to medical treatment and expose the lives of residents, patients, and the wounded to imminent danger," it warned.Eighteen of Gaza's 36 hospitals are currently partially functional, according to the UN. Eleven of them are located in Gaza City governorate and one is in North Gaza governorate.
The UN and non-governmental organisations warned earlier this week that an Israeli offensive in Gaza City would have a "horrific humanitarian impact"."We reiterate our commitment to serve people wherever they are, and we remain present in Gaza City to provide lifesaving support," they stated.They also warned that hospitals in the south were "operating at several times their capacity, and taking on patients from the north would have life-threatening consequences".Motasem Dalloul, a journalist in Gaza City, told the BBC he had seen and heard multiple Israeli air strikes there on Thursday."From time to time there are fighter jets which carry out attacks that destroy homes and other facilities, mainly in the eastern side of Gaza City, in Zeitoun neighbourhood and Sabra neighbourhood," he said.The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said at least 48 people were killed by Israeli strikes and fire across Gaza on Thursday, including eight in Sabra.Mr Dalloul also said a "large number" of Israeli drones were flying overhead.Some were broadcasting messages to residents, telling them to evacuate to "safe zones" in the south of Gaza, he said. But he disputed that such areas were safe, saying people were being killed "in every corner" of the south."A lot of people are intending not to move from the city," he said. "They believe that if we will be killed, let's be killed in our homes."
Hundreds of people also joined a rally in Gaza City to demand an end to the war and reject Israel's plan for further displacement."We are exhausted. We die a thousand times a day. We don't want to leave, we want to stay here," Bissan Ghazal told the BBC. "Stop the bloodshed. This is enough."Umm Abdul Rahman Hajjaj said she wanted to tell the Hamas ceasefire negotiators: "What we demand is an immediate end to the war - because the longer it continues, the greater the number of martyrs, wounded, and prisoners".In Tel Aviv, relatives of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas urged their government to accept a proposed ceasefire deal to bring back some of their loved ones."There's a deal on the table. This is the opening we need for a comprehensive deal. We must sign it immediately," said Dalia Cusnir, the sister-in-law of hostage Eitan Horn and released former hostage of Iair Horn."Time is running out. The hostages cannot survive much longer in the hand of these brutal captors. We cannot support more fighting."
Mediators Qatar and Egypt are trying to secure a deal to avert the offensive and have presented a new proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of around half of the 50 hostages, which Hamas said it had accepted on Monday.Israel has not yet submitted a formal response, but Israeli officials have said that they would no longer accept a partial deal and demanded a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages released. Only 20 of them are believed to still be alive.UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was "vital" to reach an immediate ceasefire and avoid what he called the "inevitable death and destruction" that a new operation in Gaza City would cause.On Wednesday, an Israeli military spokesman said "the preliminary actions" of the Gaza City offensive had begun and that troops were already "holding the outskirts".Netanyahu's office said he had "directed that the timetables - for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas - be shortened".Hamas accused the Israeli leader of continuing a "brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City" and criticised what it said was his "disregard" for the ceasefire proposal.The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.At least 62,192 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Israel tells medics to prepare for Gaza City evacuation
Israel's military says it has warned medical officials and international organisations to prepare for the planned evacuation of Gaza City's one million residents ahead of an offensive to occupy officials were told that "adjustments" were being made to hospitals in southern Gaza to receive patients, a statement Hamas-run health ministry rejected "any step that would undermine what remains of the health system". The UN and aid groups have also vowed to stay to help those who cannot or choose not to Palestinians said there had been heavy bombardment in eastern areas of the city, a day after the military said it had taken the first steps in the offensive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet security officials later to approve the military's plans despite widespread international and domestic announced Israel's intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month. The Israeli military plans to evacuate Gaza City's entire population and move it to shelters in the south before troops move into the territory's largest urban area. As part of its preparations, it said, officers from military body Cogat carried out "initial warning calls" to medical officials and international organisations on Tuesday."The officers emphasised to the medical officials that adjustments are being made to the hospital infrastructure in the south of the Strip to receive the sick and wounded, alongside an increased entry of necessary medical equipment," a statement quoted the officers as telling them in the calls: "We are going to provide you with a place to be in, whether it is a field hospital or any other hospital."However, Gaza's health ministry expressed its "rejection of any step that would undermine what remains of the health system after the systematic destruction carried out by the occupation [Israeli] authorities"."Such a step would deprive more than one million people of their right to medical treatment and expose the lives of residents, patients, and the wounded to imminent danger," it of Gaza's 36 hospitals are currently partially functional, according to the UN. Eleven of them are located in Gaza City governorate and one is in North Gaza governorate. The UN and non-governmental organisations warned earlier this week that an Israeli offensive in Gaza City would have a "horrific humanitarian impact"."We reiterate our commitment to serve people wherever they are, and we remain present in Gaza City to provide lifesaving support," they also warned that hospitals in the south were "operating at several times their capacity, and taking on patients from the north would have life-threatening consequences".Motasem Dalloul, a journalist in Gaza City, told the BBC he had seen and heard multiple Israeli air strikes there on Thursday."From time to time there are fighter jets which carry out attacks that destroy homes and other facilities, mainly in the eastern side of Gaza City, in Zeitoun neighbourhood and Sabra neighbourhood," he Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said at least 48 people were killed by Israeli strikes and fire across Gaza on Thursday, including eight in Dalloul also said a "large number" of Israeli drones were flying were broadcasting messages to residents, telling them to evacuate to "safe zones" in the south of Gaza, he said. But he disputed that such areas were safe, saying people were being killed "in every corner" of the south."A lot of people are intending not to move from the city," he said. "They believe that if we will be killed, let's be killed in our homes." Hundreds of people also joined a rally in Gaza City to demand an end to the war and reject Israel's plan for further displacement."We are exhausted. We die a thousand times a day. We don't want to leave, we want to stay here," Bissan Ghazal told the BBC. "Stop the bloodshed. This is enough."Umm Abdul Rahman Hajjaj said she wanted to tell the Hamas ceasefire negotiators: "What we demand is an immediate end to the war - because the longer it continues, the greater the number of martyrs, wounded, and prisoners".In Tel Aviv, relatives of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas urged their government to accept a proposed ceasefire deal to bring back some of their loved ones."There's a deal on the table. This is the opening we need for a comprehensive deal. We must sign it immediately," said Dalia Cusnir, the sister-in-law of hostage Eitan Horn and released former hostage of Iair Horn."Time is running out. The hostages cannot survive much longer in the hand of these brutal captors. We cannot support more fighting." Mediators Qatar and Egypt are trying to secure a deal to avert the offensive and have presented a new proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of around half of the 50 hostages, which Hamas said it had accepted on has not yet submitted a formal response, but Israeli officials have said that they would no longer accept a partial deal and demanded a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages released. Only 20 of them are believed to still be Secretary-General António Guterres said it was "vital" to reach an immediate ceasefire and avoid what he called the "inevitable death and destruction" that a new operation in Gaza City would Wednesday, an Israeli military spokesman said "the preliminary actions" of the Gaza City offensive had begun and that troops were already "holding the outskirts".Netanyahu's office said he had "directed that the timetables - for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas - be shortened".Hamas accused the Israeli leader of continuing a "brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City" and criticised what it said was his "disregard" for the ceasefire Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 62,192 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Israel ramps up pressure on Gaza City as Palestinians face stark choice: ‘Die here or leave and die somewhere else'
Thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes in Gaza City, as the Israeli military continued its assault on the enclave ahead of a planned occupation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to give final approval on Thursday for plans to take over Gaza City, an operation that could start within days. The widening of the 22-month offensive against Hamas appears to be proceeding despite protests in both Israel and the Palestinian enclave. Israeli strikes meanwhile killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals. A renewed offensive could bring even more casualties and displacement to the territory, where the war has already killed tens of thousands and where experts have warned of imminent famine. Military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X that Israeli forces had begun warning medical teams in northern Gaza that residents should prepare to move south. Describing the intense overnight shelling before a medical aid point was forced to close in the city on Tuesday, staff member Shireen Halasa said: 'It was a terrifying night. The shelling did not stop for a single moment. 'My heart almost stopped. We were treating around 100 children daily…many suffering from severe malnutrition, but we were forced to close while running for our lives.' Israeli troops have established a foothold on the city's outskirts, with an IDF spokesman saying on Wednesday that forces were already operating in Zeitoun and Jabalia as they laid the groundwork for a broader offensive. Thousands of residents fled the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods after heavy overnight bombardment, while shelling also intensified in the Sabra and Tuffah areas. Around 75 per cent of Gaza is already largely destroyed and controlled by Israel. 'We are facing a bitter-bitter situation, to die at home or leave and die somewhere else, as long as this war continues, survival is uncertain," said Rabah Abu Elias, 67, a father of seven. 'In the news, they speak about a possible truce, on the ground, we only hear explosions and see deaths. To leave Gaza City or not isn't an easy decision to make.' Israel has said it would call up to 60,000 reservists for the new offensive and other heavily populated areas of the war-torn Gaza Strip. Mr Netanyahu 's plan triggered local and global outrage when it was first announced with UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer saying it will 'only bring more bloodshed'. Hamas, in a statement on Telegram, accused the prime minister of obstructing the ceasefire deal in favour of continuing a 'brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City.' Hamas has accepted a 60-day ceasefire, which the Israeli government is yet to officially respond to. It calls for the release of 10 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and 18 bodies, in return for about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israeli government has restated that all of the remaining 50 hostages must be released at once. Israeli officials believe that around 20 of them are still alive. In Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on Israeli citizens to protest Thursday evening around Kirya military base to demand an end to the war, ahead of planned nationwide events. 'Forty-two hostages were kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity due to military pressure and delay in signing a deal,' said Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law, Eitan Horn, is still being held captive. Eitan's brother, Iair Horn, was released during a ceasefire earlier this year. 'Enough to sacrifice the hostages. Enough to sacrifice the soldiers, both regular and reservists. Enough to sacrifice the evacuees. Enough to sacrifice the younger generation in the country," said Bar Goddard, the daughter of Meni Goddard, whose body is being held by Hamas. Women and children held placards at a protest in Gaza City reading "Save Gaza" and 'Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us,' against a backdrop of destroyed buildings as Palestinian music played. 'We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months — it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,' said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City. Mr Netanyahu is also under pressure from some ministers to reject a temporary ceasefire and pursue annexation of the territory. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday announced the approval of a controversial settlement project in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank that he said would erase any prospect of a Palestinian state. In response foreign ministers from Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan issued a joint statement on Thursday condemning the E1 plan. The UK Foreign Office summoned Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely over Tel Aviv's approval. As the offensive escalates, the starvation crisis is continuing to unfold in Gaza, with the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry announcing at least two people died from starvation in the last 24 hours and at least 18 people died collecting aid. The UN Palestinian refugee agency chief said the famine was 'deliberate' and warned that malnourished children in Gaza could die without immediate emergency aid during Israel's Gaza City operation. Just 250 of an expected 1,800 aid trucks entered Gaza over the past three days, Gaza's government media office said. More than 62,000 Palestinians have died since 7 October 2023, according to the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry, following the terror group's massacre of some 1,200 people and the kidnap of around 250 more.
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Telegraph
‘Rare and complicated' skin diseases rampage through Gaza
A new epidemic of life-changing skin infections is raging in Gaza, aid organisations have warned. Medical charities say highly infectious skin diseases are becoming more severe and widespread due to a mix of factors including poor sanitation, the summer heat and frequent military displacement orders disrupting treatments. Although skin infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites such as lice are affecting adults and children, it is the young and those with weakened immune systems who are worst hit. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) this month recorded 713 skin infections in children in just four clinics, with nearly 400 recorded in the past two weeks. Photos shared with The Telegraph show acute cases of Bullous Impetigo, a highly infectious bacterial skin disease characterised by large fluid-filled blisters. It is usually preventable with good sanitation and topical antibiotics but can become life threatening if left untreated, causing cellulitis, kidney damage and scarring. Other images show children suffering from scabies, a skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin and cause an intense rash. The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is a public health problem affecting all ages and socioeconomic groups in Gaza. The itching and pain, aggravated by soaring temperatures, can be extreme, says medics. With limited access to water and sanitation, experts say the incidence of skin infections is climbing fast. Cleanliness is near impossible in Gaza's many displacement camps. There is only one toilet available for every 700 people, according to data from European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, a wing of the European Union. Limited access to clean water in Gaza has also caused a rise in skin diseases, said Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The medical charity on Wednesday accused Israel of deliberately depriving Gazans of water, by blocking imports of critical water safety systems. Only one in ten of its requests to import water desalination items had been approved since June 2024, it said. The relentless bombing campaign has also repeatedly damaged critical water infrastructure in the Strip. Of the 196 desalination plants that are publicly run by charities and non-profits in Gaza, more than 60 per cent are non-functional, said MSF. Virginia Moneti, MSF emergency medical project lead in Gaza, said infections were also linked to the ongoing displacement of populations. 'Access to health care is increasingly difficult as facilities end up in areas where evacuation orders are issued or are directly targeted,' she told The Telegraph. At least 1.9 million people – around 90 per cent of Gaza's population – have been displaced during the war, according to the UN. Many have been uprooted up to ten times or more, it added. Jamal Salim, Community Health worker with MAP, said that in many cases skin infections were running their natural course as treatments could not be accessed or maintained. 'Untreated skin infections can lead to abscesses, cellulitis, and in severe cases, systemic infections,' he told The Telegraph 'Some children also develop scarring or long-term skin damage, especially when medication is not available.' Food shortages are further compounding the issue, say experts. High levels of malnutrition mean that patients struggle to heal from skin diseases as many people have 'weakened immunity,' said Mr Salim. Aid groups have repeatedly accused Israel of orchestrating a deliberate hunger crisis in the enclave, with the UN-backed global hunger monitor last month warning that 'the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip'. The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday Israel was not letting enough supplies into the Gaza Strip to avert widespread starvation. Israel has denied responsibility for hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas of systematically looting aid shipments – an allegation Hamas denies.
