فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday issued a final warning to the residents of Gaza City to evacuate southward, as Hamas continues to deliberate the peace plan proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to witnesses, heavy bombings struck Gaza City in the northern part of the Palestinian territory, where the Israeli army has been conducting an offensive for two weeks, causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
“This is the last chance for Gaza residents who wish to move south and leave the Hamas terrorists isolated within Gaza City,” Katz said on X, adding that those who remain will be considered “terrorists and supporters of terrorism.”
Katz stated that the military is carrying out an operation to “divide Gaza into north and south” and that anyone leaving Gaza City southward must now pass through a military checkpoint. Earlier, the military announced the closure of the last route allowing residents from southern Gaza to reach the north.
The Civil Defense reported 13 deaths in Israeli strikes on Gaza City, including six killed in a school sheltering displaced people and seven in a house, with women and children among the victims. The Israeli military said it is investigating.
Sixty-year-old Rabah al-Halabi, who lives under a tent in the Al-Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City, told AFP by phone, “The explosions do not stop.” He added, “I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the south of the Gaza Strip. All areas are dangerous, bombings are widespread, and moving around is terrifying and humiliating.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross announced it was “forced” to suspend its activities in Gaza City due to the intensification of Israeli military operations, warning that “tens of thousands of people” remaining there face “horrific humanitarian conditions.” Doctors Without Borders had suspended its activities in the city several days earlier. Some UN agencies and humanitarian organizations continue to operate there.
Meanwhile, Hamas continues to review the U.S. plan, which calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, disarmament of Palestinian fighters, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, and the establishment of a transitional authority.
U.S. President Joe Biden set a deadline of “three to four days” on Tuesday for Hamas to accept the plan, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supports.
A source close to negotiations in Qatar told AFP that “there are two opinions within Hamas.” One supports unconditional approval to prioritize a ceasefire backed by Trump’s guarantees, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan. The other voices serious reservations about key clauses, rejecting disarmament and expulsions, and favors conditional approval with clarifications reflecting Hamas and resistance movements’ demands.
A Palestinian source close to Hamas told AFP on Wednesday that “no final decision has been made yet” and the movement “will probably need two to three days.” Hamas seeks to amend clauses related to disarmament and the expulsion of its leaders from the territory and demands international guarantees of a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which ignited the war, resulted in 1,219 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. Of the 251 people abducted in the attack, 47 remain held in Gaza, with 25 reported dead by the Israeli army.
The Israeli retaliatory offensive has caused 66,148 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which the UN considers credible.
