Displacement plan for Gaza City residents announced

The military plans mass displacement while health officials report civilian deaths near designated safe zones.

Israeli military preparing to expel Gaza City residents as baby in tent among those killed in latest attacks

On Saturday the Israeli military said it would begin preparing for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza City. It said residents would receive tents and other shelter equipment as authorities move them south of the enclave to be out of combat zones. The plan comes as Israel signals a wider offensive to seize Gaza City, a move that has sparked international alarm and intense diplomacy over civilian protection.

Health officials reported at least 40 deaths in the latest strikes, including a baby girl and her parents in a tent at al-Muwasi, a site Israel had previously designated a humanitarian zone. Officials also cited 13 Palestinians killed by troops at food aid sites in the north and south, and 11 malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 251 since the blockade intensified. Residents in Zeitun described worsening conditions as air strikes and tank fire continued, underscoring the toll of the conflict on civilians and aid networks. The UN urged caution, noting that relocating civilians could deepen suffering and complicate relief efforts.

Displacing a city’s worth of people is a high-stakes maneuver that tests the line between military aims and civilian protection. The plan risks turning relocation into a weapon that fractures already fragile aid corridors and leaves families without shelter, water, or food. Rights groups have framed the broader strategy as a violation of international norms, while the UN warns the move could worsen a humanitarian crisis rather than solve it.

Politically, the move also widens the fault lines inside the conflict. Prime Minister Netanyahu has spoken of expanding the offensive to central camps and other neighborhoods, a stance that could intensify regional polarization and trigger more international backlash. The new phase arrives as protests and hostage concerns add pressure on governments and aid agencies to act with both urgency and restraint.

Highlights

The coming days will test how the world balances military urgency with civilian protection.