Israel issued a final warning on Wednesday (October 1, 2025) for people to flee Gaza’s main city, as Hamas weighed U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory.

Witnesses reported heavy bombardment in Gaza City, as Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said the army was tightening its encirclement of the city.

“This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas operatives isolated in Gaza City,” Mr. Katz posted on X, warning that those who remained would “be considered terrorists and terrorist supporters”.

Mr. Katz said the military had seized the Netzarim corridor, linking central Gaza to the western coast, effectively cutting the north of Gaza off from the south.

Anyone leaving Gaza City for the south would have to pass through Israeli military checkpoints, he added.

Closing of last remaining route for people

The announcement came hours after the military said it was closing the last remaining route for people to travel from southern Gaza to the north.

In Gaza City, 60-year-old Rabah al-Halabi, sheltering in a tent on the grounds of Al-Shifa Hospital, described relentless explosions.

“I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the situation in the southern Gaza Strip,” he told AFP by telephone.

“All areas are dangerous, the bombing is everywhere, and displacement is terrifying and humiliating,” he said.

“We are waiting for death, or perhaps relief from God and for the truce to come.”

Hamas said Mr. Katz’s comments were “a prelude to the escalation of war crimes being committed by his army”.

‘Ceasefire at any cost’

The International Committee of the Red Cross said intensified military operations had forced it to temporarily suspend activities in Gaza City.

Days earlier, the Doctors Without Borders charity halted its work in the city, where some U.N. agencies and aid organisations still operate.

Meanwhile, Hamas was examining a peace plan proposed by Mr. Trump and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

A Palestinian source close to Hamas’s leaders told AFP that “no final decision” had been made and that “the movement will likely need two to three days”.

“Hamas wants to amend some of the items such as the disarmament clause and the expulsion of Hamas,” the source said.

They added that Hamas wanted “international guarantees” for a full Israeli withdrawal and guarantees Israel would not violate a ceasefire.

Gaza’s civil defence agency — a rescue force operating under Hamas authority — said Israeli strikes killed at least 46 people across the territory on Wednesday, including 36 in Gaza City.

Asked about a strike on a school-turned-shelter that the agency said killed eight people, the Israeli military said it had “struck a Hamas terrorist” and that “steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible”.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP cannot independently verify casualty figures provided by either side.

Fadel al-Jadba, 26, said he would stay in Gaza City.

“We want a ceasefire at any cost because we are frustrated, exhausted, and find no one in the world standing with us,” he told AFP.

Late on Wednesday, the Israeli military said in a statement that five projectiles were launched from Gaza into Israel, four of which were intercepted and one of which “fell in an open area”.

‘Two opinions’ in Hamas

Mr. Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Hamas had “about three or four days” to accept his 20-point Gaza plan, later warning the Islamist movement would “pay in hell” if it refused.

A source familiar with the talks in Doha said “two opinions exist within Hamas”.

“The first supports unconditional approval, as the priority is a ceasefire under Trump’s guarantees, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan,” the source told AFP.

“The second has serious reservations regarding key clauses, rejecting disarmament and the expulsion of any Palestinian from Gaza. They favour conditional approval with clarifications reflecting Hamas’s and the resistance factions’ demands.”

Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 66,148 Palestinians, according to Health Ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

Published – October 02, 2025 01:54 am IST

Israeli strikes killed at least 34 people in Gaza City overnight, including children, said health officials on Sunday (September 21, 2025), as Israel presses ahead with its offensive in the famine-stricken city and several countries prepare to recognise a Palestinian state.

Health officials at Shifa Hospital, where most of the bodies were brought, said the dead included 14 people killed in a late-night strike on Saturday (September 20, 2025), which hit a residential block in the southern side of the city. Health staff said a nurse who worked at the hospital was among the dead, along with his wife and three children.

Israel did not comment on the strikes.

The latest Israeli operation, which began this week, further escalates a conflict that has roiled the West Asia and likely pushes any ceasefire further out of reach. The Israeli military, which has told Palestinians to leave, hasn’t given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months. Israel says the operation is meant to pressure Hamas into freeing hostages and surrendering.

Saturday night’s strikes come as some prominent Western countries prepare to recognise Palestinian statehood at the gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. They include the UK, France, Canada, Australia, Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg. Portugal’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it will recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday.

Ahead of the U.N. assembly, peace activists in Israel have hailed the planned recognition of a Palestinian state. On Sunday, a group of more than 60 Jewish and Arab organisations representing about 1,000 activists, including some veteran organisations promoting peace and coexistence, known as It’s Time Coalition, called for an end to the war, the release of the hostages and the recognition of a Palestinian state.

“We refuse to live forever by the sword. The UN decision offers a historic opportunity to move from a death trap to life, from an endless messianic war to a future of security and freedom for both peoples,” said the coalition in a video statement.

On Saturday night, tens of thousands of people in Israel protested, calling for an end to the war and a hostage deal.

Yet a ceasefire remains elusive. Israeli bombardment over the past 23 months has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, destroyed vast areas of the strip, displaced around 90 per cent of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.

In a statement on Sunday, the military stated it killed Majed Abu Selmiya, who it said was a sniper for Hamas’ military wing and was preparing to carry out more attacks in the Gaza City area, without providing evidence.

Majed was the brother of the director of Shifa hospital, Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, who called the allegations a lie and said Israel was trying to justify the killing of civilians. Dr Selmiya told The Associated Press that his brother, 57, suffered from hypertension, diabetes and had vision problems.

As the attacks continue, Israel has ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City to move south to what it calls a humanitarian zone and opened another corridor south of the city for two days this week to allow more people to evacuate.

Palestinians were streaming out of Gaza City by car and on foot, though many are unwilling to be uprooted again, too weak to leave or unable to afford the cost of moving.

Along the coastal Wadi Gaza route, those too exhausted to continue stopped to catch their breath and give their children a much-needed break from the difficult journey.

Aid groups have warned that forcing thousands of people to evacuate will exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis. They are appealing for a ceasefire so aid can reach those who need it.

Pope Leo XIV blasted what he called the “forced exile” of Palestinians from their homes in Gaza, saying there was no future for the “martyred” Gaza Strip based on violence and vendetta.

During his Sunday noon blessing, Pope Leo issued another appeal for peace and expressed appreciation for the work of Catholic organisations active in helping Palestinians, which had representatives present in St. Peter’s Square.

Families of hostages still held by Hamas have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of condemning their loved ones to death by continuing to fight rather than negotiating an end to the war.

Published – September 21, 2025 06:14 pm IST

Israeli strikes killed at least 14 people overnight in Gaza City, said health officials, as Israel ramps up its offensive there and urges Palestinians to leave.

The strikes come as Western countries are increasingly fed up with the intensifying war in Gaza, with some moving to recognise Palestinian statehood at the gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly next week. In a statement on Friday (September 19, 2025), Portugal’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it will recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday (September 21, 2025). The Iberian country had previously announced its plans to do so, but has now set an official date.

Portugal is among other Western nations, including the U.K., Canada, Australia, Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg who are expected to recognise Palestinian statehood in the coming days.

The latest Israeli operation, which started this week, further escalates a conflict that has roiled the West Asia and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach. The Israeli military, which says it wants to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” hasn’t given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months.

Israeli bombardment over the past 23 months has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, destroyed vast areas of the strip, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.

Evacuation order issued in Gaza City

Dr Rami Mhanna, the managing director of Shifa Hospital, where some of the bodies were brought, said the dead included six people from the same family after a strike hit their home early on Saturday morning. They were relatives of the hospital’s director, Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, he said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said five other people were killed in another strike close to Shawa Square.

Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to questions about the strikes.

In recent days, Israel has been urging hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City to move south to what it calls a humanitarian zone.

Palestinians have streamed out of the city — some by car, others on foot. Israel opened another corridor south of Gaza City for two days this week to allow more people to evacuate. But many Palestinians in the famine-stricken city are unwilling to be uprooted again, too weak to leave or unable to afford the cost of moving.

Aid groups have warned that forcing thousands of people to evacuate will exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis. They are urging for a ceasefire so aid can reach those who need it.

On Friday (September 19, 2025), UNICEF said lifesaving therapeutic food meant for thousands of children in Gaza was stolen from four of its trucks. The statement said armed individuals approached the trucks outside their compound in Gaza City, and the drivers were held at gunpoint while the food was taken.

“They were intended to treat malnourished children in Gaza City, where famine is declared … it was a life-saving shipment amid the severe restrictions on aid delivery to Gaza City,” said Ammar Ammar, a spokesperson for UNICEF.

In a statement on Friday, Israel’s army blamed Hamas for stealing the food.

Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid and using it to fund its military activities, without providing evidence. The U.N. says there are mechanisms in place that prevent any significant diversion of aid.

The death count in Gaza has climbed over 65,100, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that triggered the war. The ministry does not say how many of the dead were civilians or militants. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the U.N. and many independent experts.

Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in the 2023 attack, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than half believed to be alive.

Published – September 20, 2025 06:00 pm IST

“I call on Israel to stop its wanton destruction of Gaza,” High Commissioner Volker Turk told reporters in Geneva.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Israel began mobilising tens of thousands of reservists and repeated evacuation warnings on Tuesday (September 2, 2025) as part of its plan to widen its offensive in Gaza City, which has sparked opposition domestically and condemnation abroad.

The call-up, which was announced last month, comes as ground and air forces press forward and pursue more targets in northern and central Gaza, striking parts of Zeitoun and Shijaiyah — two western Gaza City neighborhoods that Israeli forces have repeatedly invaded during the nearly two-year war against Hamas militants.

Zeitoun, once Gaza City’s largest neighbourhood with markets, schools and clinics, has been transformed over the past month, with streets being emptied and buildings reduced to rubble as it becomes what Israel’s military last week called a “ dangerous combat zone.”

Gaza City is Hamas’ political and military stronghold and, according to Israel, still home to a vast tunnel network, despite multiple incursions throughout the war. It’s also one of the last refuges in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are sheltering, facing the twin threats of combat and famine.

Reservists protested the call-up in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, questioning whether the offensive was a political move and whether it would push Israel toward its goals of crippling Hamas’ military capabilities in Gaza.

Israel on Tuesday repeated earlier warnings to Palestinians who have remained in Gaza City, unconvinced that another displacement will keep them safe.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned that combat operations would soon be expanding, and that services would be made available in Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp south of Gaza City.

At least 47 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Tuesday, according to hospitals.

In Gaza City, Israeli strikes killed at least 26 people, who arrived at Shifa hospital since Tuesday morning, an official there told The Associated Press.

A strike on a residential building in Tel al-Hawa wounded 28 people on Tuesday, according to al-Quds Hospital, a day after overnight strikes in the neighborhood.

Overnight, a strike on a residential building in the neighborhood killed 15 people including at least 3 children. AP footage showed rescue workers pulling a bloodied infant alive from beneath rubble, then placing the dead under white sheets — a scene that captured the dangers facing Gaza City’s exhausted residents, uprooted time and again and uncertain if any place is secure.

“We were sleeping safe and sound in our home, and then we suddenly woke up to the sound of banging and rising smoke,” Sana Drimli, a woman who lived in the building with her family, told the AP. “We woke up to see what happened to us and check in on our children and discovered that everyone around us is dead.”

Shifa Hospital’s morgue confirmed 15 deaths from the Israeli strike, one of several lethal strikes on the neigborhood.

Further south, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said they received 22 casualties killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire near distribution sites and in a corridor frequented by U.N. convoys.

In recent months, more than 2,300 aid seekers have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The toll includes Palestinians who have sought aid in areas where U.N. convoys have been overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds, and where people have been fatally shot while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, an Israeli-backed American contractor.

Israel’s military and GHF didn’t immediately respond to questions about the latest incidents.

At least 60,000 reservists will be gradually called up, Israel’s military said last month. It will also extend the service of an additional 20,000 reservists already serving.

In Israel, with a population of less than 10 million, most Jewish men complete compulsory military service and remain in the reserves for at least a decade. But criticism over the war in Gaza is growing. A number of movements are organizing to encourage reservists not to serve, though it’s unclear how many will refuse the latest call-up.

Refusing to show up for reserve duty is an offense that can merit prison time, though only a handful of reserve soldiers who have refused to serve have been put in military prison over the course of the war.

Since the world’s leading authority on food crises declared last month that Gaza City was experiencing famine, malnutrition-related deaths have mounted. Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that a total of 185 people died of malnutrition in August — marking the highest count in months.

A total of 63,633 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the ministry, which says another 160,914 people have been wounded as of Tuesday. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up around half the dead.

The Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but staffed by medical professionals. U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of war casualties. Israel disputes them, but hasn’t provided its own toll.

The war started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Forty-eight hostages are still inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Published – September 02, 2025 08:58 pm IST

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

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