Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israel has issued a sweeping new order demanding the full evacuation of Gaza City, warning that any Palestinians who remain will be considered combatants and subject to the full force of its ongoing military campaign.
Defense Minister Israel Katz made the announcement Wednesday via social media, declaring it the “last opportunity” for civilians to flee the besieged northern city. “Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters,” Katz wrote, in one of the most explicit warnings of the war.
The statement signals a further escalation in Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza, nearly two years after the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the conflict. The warning also coincided with a fresh wave of deadly airstrikes across the strip that left at least 16 Palestinians dead, according to local hospitals.
Despite previous mass evacuations, hundreds of thousands remain trapped in Gaza City, either unwilling or unable to leave. Aid groups report many are too weak, sick, or impoverished to make the journey south to overcrowded displacement camps, where conditions have deteriorated drastically amid famine and limited aid access.
Civilians Killed in Strikes on Shelters and Hospitals
Israeli airstrikes continued across Gaza on Wednesday, targeting areas within Gaza City and central parts of the enclave. According to Al-Ahli Hospital, at least seven people, including first responders, were killed when two Israeli strikes minutes apart hit a school housing displaced civilians.
Later in the day, another airstrike reportedly killed five people gathered around a water tank. Shifa Hospital said a man was killed in a separate attack on his apartment. Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza reported three additional fatalities from a strike in the region.
A tent located in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah was also hit, seriously injuring two people. Hospital officials called the incident another example of how Gaza’s health infrastructure remains under siege.
Earlier in the day, dozens gathered at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for the funeral of Palestinian freelance journalist Yahya Barzaq, killed in an Israeli airstrike Tuesday while reporting for Turkish broadcaster TRT. He is among more than 189 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Israel’s military did not comment on the latest strikes but has consistently stated that it targets Hamas infrastructure and that civilian casualties are a tragic consequence of militants embedding within densely populated areas.
Mounting Toll, Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry part of the Hamas-run government, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 170,000 others since October 2023. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its casualty counts but has said women and children constitute about half the dead.
The United Nations and independent analysts generally regard these figures as credible and reflective of the scale of destruction, given limited access to the conflict zone. Nearly 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, many multiple times, and humanitarian organizations describe daily survival as a struggle for food, clean water, and medical care.
On Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced it was suspending operations in Gaza City due to intensified fighting, relocating its personnel to southern areas.
Trump Peace Proposal Faces Arab Skepticism
As the fighting continues, diplomatic efforts to end the war are once again in motion. Hamas is reportedly weighing a new ceasefire and hostage-release proposal announced earlier this week by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as a mediator in the conflict.
The 20-point proposal, developed in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for Hamas to release remaining hostages, disarm, and relinquish control of Gaza in exchange for an end to hostilities, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of humanitarian aid. The plan envisions Gaza’s reconstruction under international administration, but it notably excludes any path to Palestinian statehood.
While the Palestinian Authority welcomed the plan, and several Arab states including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have expressed general support, both Egypt and Qatar said Wednesday that key elements still require negotiation. Hamas has yet to formally respond.
The plan has received strong backing from Washington and European allies but is expected to face resistance from both hardliners in Israel and from factions within Hamas.
Israeli Forces Intercept ‘Global Sumud Flotilla,’ Detain Participants Including Journalist
Israeli naval forces intercepted several vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla late Wednesday, detaining participants, including Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Hayat Al-Yemeni, according to flotilla organizers and Palestinian media sources.
The flotilla, which had been sailing toward Gaza in a symbolic effort to break Israel’s maritime blockade, was reportedly within 90 nautical miles (approximately 166 kilometers) of the Gaza coast when it came under interception by Israeli military forces.
According to a statement from flotilla organizers, Israeli forces conducted what they described as an “illegal interdiction”, forcibly boarding multiple ships, disabling onboard communications and camera systems, and detaining those on board.
Among the vessels intercepted was the “Sirius”, on which journalist Hayat Al-Yemani was reporting. The flotilla confirmed that she and other activists aboard were detained during the raid. The Palestinian Press Agency (SAFA) also reported that Israeli personnel had seized control of the “Sirius” and at least one other vessel, “Alma”, earlier in the day.
Shortly after those incidents, flotilla organizers reported that a third ship had been intercepted, marking a systematic effort by Israeli forces to halt the entire convoy before it could reach Gazan waters.
The international flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists aboard roughly 50 vessels is sailing toward Gaza in what organizers describe as the largest attempt yet to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade.
The “Global Sumud Flotilla” set sail from Barcelona on September 1 and is expected to reach the Gaza coast by Thursday. Organizers say they are carrying a symbolic shipment of humanitarian aid and seeking to draw global attention to the siege.
Israeli authorities have vowed to intercept the flotilla, warning the ships will not be allowed to dock. Organizers reported that two vessels were harassed by Israeli naval forces overnight.
Similar flotilla attempts in the past have resulted in tense standoffs and, in some cases, deadly confrontations. With Yom Kippur the Jewish Day of Atonement beginning at sundown Wednesday, Israel has entered a national shutdown, but military operations are expected to continue.
As the war enters its second year with no political solution in sight, the cost to civilians both in Gaza and across the region continues to rise, even as international diplomacy struggles to make meaningful headway.
