Israel announces plan to move Palestinians to southern Gaza
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Israel announces plan to move Palestinians to southern Gaza
The Israeli military says it will move Palestinians to “safe zones” in the Gaza Strip. The move is part of a plan to take back control of the area from the Hamas militant group. Around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict so far, according to the Health Ministry. The U.S. State Department says it is working with Israel to find a solution to the crisis in Gaza.
The announcement comes days after Israel said it would launch an offensive to take control of northern Gaza City.
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The Israeli military agency in charge of civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, known as COGAT, said that the the supply of tents to Gaza would resume on Sunday.
It said that the shelter equipment would be transported via the Kerem Shalom crossing by the United Nations and international aid organizations after inspection by Israeli Defense Ministry personnel.
What else do we know about Israel’s plan?
Israel’s military did not specify when the movement of Palestinians would begin.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “we are now in the stage of discussions to finalize the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza.”
Israeli forces have increased operations on the outskirts of Gaza City, including in the Zeitoun and Shejaiya neighborhoods.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Palestinians would be moved into what he described as “safe zones.” He also described Gaza City as the final stronghold of the Hamas militant group.
Gaza City was the most populous urban center in the Palestinian enclave until most of its population was displaced in Israel’s offensive.
Hostage families call for protests
Meanwhile, a group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza urged Israelis to take to the streets on Sunday and call for an agreement leading to an end to the war and the release of all remaining hostages.
Some 251 people were taken hostage in Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
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According to Israeli authorities, 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are still alive.
Around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the attacks.
Israel’s ensuing offensive in Gaza has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, with independent studies saying the toll could much higher.
Israel prepares to move Palestinians to southern Gaza as airstrikes continue
Israeli military body responsible for humanitarian aid, COGAT, stated that the supply of tents to Gaza would resume on Sunday. Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed on social media that “we are now in the stage of discussions to finalize the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza” The families of Israeli hostages, expressing growing frustration over 22 months of war, have called for a “nationwide day of stoppage” across Israel. Israel may be using the threat to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages taken in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. The U.N. is warning that Gaza are at their highest levels of malnutrition since the war began, while some Palestinian leaders continue to talk openly about the mass relocation of people from Gaza to other parts of the country. A 20-year old Palestinian woman described as being in a “state of physical physical deterioration” died Friday after being transferred from Gaza for treatment, the hospital said Saturday. Another 11 malnutrition-related deaths occurred in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said.
Israel has announced plans to relocate Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza as it prepares for a military offensive in densely populated areas of the territory. The Israeli military body responsible for humanitarian aid, COGAT, stated that the supply of tents to Gaza would resume on Sunday.
While the military offered no comment on the timeline for this mass movement, Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed on social media that “we are now in the stage of discussions to finalize the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza.”
Amidst these developments, the families of Israeli hostages, expressing growing frustration over 22 months of war, have called for a “nationwide day of stoppage” across Israel on Sunday.
Families of hostages fear the coming offensive further endangers the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza, just 20 of them thought to still be alive. They and other Israelis were horrified by the recent release of videos showing emaciated hostages speaking under duress and pleading for help and food.
The families and supporters have pressed the government for a deal to stop the war — a call that some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs have made as well in recent weeks.
Demonstrators block a road during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, near Jerusalem, Israel, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
A group representing the families has urged Israelis into the streets on Sunday. “Across the country, hundreds of citizen-led initiatives will pause daily life and join the most just and moral struggle: the struggle to bring all 50 hostages home,” it said in a statement.
“I want to believe that there is hope, and it will not come from above, it will come only from us,” said Dana Silberman Sitton, sister of Shiri Bibas and aunt of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were killed in captivity.
She spoke at a weekly rally in Tel Aviv, along with Pushpa Joshi, sister of kidnapped Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi, a student seized from a kibbutz.
“I miss my best friend,” Pushpa said.
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a baby girl and her parents on Saturday, Nasser hospital officials and witnesses said. Motasem al-Batta, his wife and the girl were killed in their tent in the crowded Muwasi area.
“Two and a half months, what has she done?” neighbor Fathi Shubeir asked, sweating as temperatures in the shattered territory soared above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). “They are civilians in an area designated safe.”
Israel’s military said it couldn’t comment on the strike without more details. It said it is dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and takes precautions not to harm civilians.
Children playing a game in a tent in Khan Younis (SOS Children’s Village)
Muwasi is one of the heavily populated areas in Gaza where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel plans to widen the coming military offensive, along with Gaza City and “central camps” — an apparent reference to the built-up Nuseirat and Bureij camps in central Gaza.
Israel may be using the threat to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages taken in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.
Elsewhere, an official at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said it received the bodies of six people who were killed in the Zikim area of northern Gaza, as well as four people killed in shelling.
Another 11 malnutrition-related deaths occurred in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said Saturday, with one child among them. That brings malnutrition-related deaths during the war to 251.
The United Nations is warning that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Palestinians are drinking contaminated water as diseases spread, while some Israeli leaders continue to talk openly about the mass relocation of people from Gaza.
A 20-year old Palestinian woman described as being in a “state of severe physical deterioration” died Friday after being transferred from Gaza to Italy for treatment, the hospital said Saturday.
The U.N. and partners say getting food and other aid into the territory of over 2 million people, and then on to distribution points, remains highly challenging with Israeli restrictions and pressure from crowds of hungry Palestinians.
The U.N. human rights office says at least 1,760 people were killed while seeking aid between May 27 and Wednesday. It says 766 were killed along routes of supply convoys and 994 in the vicinity of “non-U.N. militarized sites,” a reference to the Israeli-backed and U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which since May has been the primary distributor of aid in Gaza.
The U.S. State Department on Saturday said all visitor visas for people from Gaza are being stopped while a review is carried out of how “a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas” were issued in recent days.
The Hamas-led attack in 2023 killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 61,897 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
Gaza war: Israel prepares to move Palestinians as Netanyahu greenlights military offence to defeat Hamas
Israel says it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza. The move comes as plans move ahead for a military offensive in some of the territory’s most populated areas. Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre. The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said the supply of tents to the territory would resume on Sunday. Meanwhile, anxious families of Israeli hostages called for a “nationwide day of stoppage” in Israel on Sunday to express growing frustration over 22 months of war.“I want to believe that there is hope, and it will not come from above, it will come only from us,” said Dana Silberman Sitton, sister of Shiri Bibas and aunt of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were killed in captivity, at a rally in Tel Aviv, Israel’s second largest city. The United Nations is warning that 251 people have died of malnutrition during the war.
Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, home to about 2.2 million people.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had earlier announced that the military had been given the green light to “dismantle” what he described as two remaining Hamas strongholds: Gaza City in the north and al-Mawasi further to the south, Al Jazeera reported.
Netanyahu said last Sunday that before launching the offensive, the civilian population will be evacuated to what he described as “safe zones” from Gaza City, which he called Hamas’ last stronghold.
‘Supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume’ In the wake of these developments, Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting from Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety,” the Israeli military said on Saturday.
The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, COGAT, said the supply of tents to the territory would resume on Sunday.
‘Finalize plan to defeat Hamas’ The military said it had no comment on when the mass movement of Palestinians would begin, but Defense Minister Israel Katz said on social media that “we are now in the stage of discussions to finalize the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza.”
“And at their conclusion, there will be a comprehensive and powerful plan to carry out the mission in all its aspects,” Katz said.
Meanwhile, anxious families of Israeli hostages called for a “nationwide day of stoppage” in Israel on Sunday to express growing frustration over 22 months of war.
Families of hostages fear the coming offensive further endangers the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza, just 20 of them thought to still be alive. They and other Israelis were horrified by the recent release of videos showing emaciated hostages speaking under duress and pleading for help and food.
The families and supporters have pressed the government for a deal to stop the war — a call that some former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs have made as well in recent weeks.
A group representing the families has urged Israelis into the streets on Sunday. “Across the country, hundreds of citizen-led initiatives will pause daily life and join the most just and moral struggle: the struggle to bring all 50 hostages home,” it said in a statement.
“I want to believe that there is hope, and it will not come from above, it will come only from us,” said Dana Silberman Sitton, sister of Shiri Bibas and aunt of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were killed in captivity.
She spoke at a weekly rally in Tel Aviv, along with Pushpa Joshi, sister of kidnapped Nepalese hostage Bipin Joshi, a student seized from a kibbutz.
“I miss my best friend,” Pushpa said.
Airstrike kills a baby girl and her parents An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a baby girl and her parents on Saturday, Nasser hospital officials and witnesses said. Motasem al-Batta, his wife and the girl were killed in their tent in the crowded Muwasi area.
“Two and a half months, what has she done?” neighbor Fathi Shubeir asked, sweating as temperatures in the shattered territory soared above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). “They are civilians in an area designated safe.”
Israel’s military said it couldn’t comment on the strike without more details. It said it is dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and takes precautions not to harm civilians.
Muwasi is one of the heavily populated areas in Gaza where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel plans to widen the coming military offensive, along with Gaza City and “central camps” — an apparent reference to the built-up Nuseirat and Bureij camps in central Gaza.
Israel may be using the threat to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages taken in its October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.
Elsewhere, an official at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said it received the bodies of six people who were killed in the Zikim area of northern Gaza, as well as four people killed in shelling.
11 more deaths related to malnutrition Another 11 malnutrition-related deaths occurred in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said Saturday, with one child among them. That brings malnutrition-related deaths during the war to 251.
The United Nations is warning that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Palestinians are drinking contaminated water as diseases spread, while some Israeli leaders continue to talk openly about the mass relocation of people from Gaza.
A 20-year old Palestinian woman described as being in a “state of severe physical deterioration” died Friday after being transferred from Gaza to Italy for treatment, the hospital said Saturday.
The UN and partners say getting food and other aid into the territory of over 2 million people, and then on to distribution points, remains highly challenging with Israeli restrictions and pressure from crowds of hungry Palestinians.
The UN human rights office says at least 1,760 people were killed while seeking aid between May 27 and Wednesday. It says 766 were killed along routes of supply convoys and 994 in the vicinity of “non-U.N. militarized sites,” a reference to the Israeli-backed and US-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which since May has been the primary distributor of aid in Gaza.
US stops visitor visas for people from Gaza The US State Department on Saturday said all visitor visas for people from Gaza are being stopped while a review is carried out of how “a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas” were issued in recent days.
The Hamas-led attack in 2023 killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 61,897 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
Israel prepares to move Palestinians to southern Gaza amid expanded military operations
Israel announced on Saturday that it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat and operational zones to southern Gaza. The Israeli military body in charge of overseeing the humanitarian system to Gaza – The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) – says the supply of tents to the enclave will resume on Sunday. Israeli air strikes are continuing to wreak havoc across the enclave. On Saturday, a strike killed a baby girl and her parents, according to medical sources at the Nasser Hospital which received the bodies. At least 51 others were killed in Israeli attacks elsewhere in Gaza over the past 24 hours. The death toll is now nearing 62,000 since Israel launched its offensive on the enclave in October 2023. Some 50 hostages still remain under Hamas captivity in Gaza, 20 of which are believed to still be alive. The UN says more than 90% of Gaza’s two million population are at dire risk of starvation, after Israel moved to restrict UN aid operations.
Israel announced on Saturday that it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat and operational zones to southern Gaza as plans move ahead for a military offensive in some of the Strip’s most populated areas, including the northern Gaza City.
The Israeli military body in charge of overseeing the humanitarian system to Gaza – The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) – says the supply of tents to the enclave will resume on Sunday.
The Israeli military did not make further comments or indicate when the mass movement of Palestinians would begin. Defence Minister Israel Katz did however state in a post on his social media platforms that the government is in the final planning stage.
“Now we are in the stage of discussions to formulate the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza and return the hostages, and at their conclusion, there will be a comprehensive and powerful plan to carry out the mission in all its aspects,” wrote Katz in a post on X.
The announcement comes just a week after Israel’s security cabinet moved to approve plans to occupy Gaza City. It’s a slight downgrade from what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had in mind, as he vowed to take control of Gaza in its entirety.
Israeli attacks continue across Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes are continuing to wreak havoc across the enclave. On Saturday, a strike killed a baby girl and her parents, according to medical sources at the Nasser Hospital which received the bodies. They were killed in their tent in the crowded al-Mawasi area.
“Two and a half months, what has she done?” neighbour Fathi Shubeir asked, “They are civilians in an area designated safe.”
The Israeli Defence Forces did not provide more details on the attack, only asserting that they were dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and stressing that they take precautions not to harm civilians.
Palestinians pray over the bodies of people who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. Jehad Alshrafi/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
Al-Mawasi is one of the most heavily populated areas in Gaza where Netanyahu says Israel plans to expand its operations in with its upcoming military offensive.
At least 51 others were killed in Israeli attacks elsewhere in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry says the death toll is now nearing 62,000 since Israel launched its offensive on the enclave in October 2023.
Their figures do not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties, but the UN says more than two-thirds of deaths it has been able to verify were women and children.
Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas staged an attack on southern Israel on 7 October, 2023, killing 1,200 people, according to Israel, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Some 50 hostages still remain under Hamas captivity in Gaza, 20 of which are believed to still be alive.
UN condemns worsening humanitarian crisis
The United Nations have condemned Israel over what it calls a “man-made” humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that it could significantly worsen if immediate measures to alleviate the suffering are not instated.
The UN says more than 90% of Gaza’s two million population are at dire risk of starvation, after Israel moved to restrict UN aid operations, accusing Hamas of looting supplies for their own gain.
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 Jehad Alshrafi/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
The UN’s main aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA, has faced severe restrictions after Israel claimed without providing proof that many of its staff were Hamas members.
Israel, along with the US, launched their own aid mission in Gaza to replace traditional UN systems, operated by the Delaware-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF says it distributes millions of meals daily through its hubs, but experts say it’s nowhere near enough to satisfy the needs of the population.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more and more people are dying from starvation. On Saturday, 11 people died, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths to 251, including 108 children.
Israel prepares to move Palestinians to southern Gaza amid expanded military operations
Israel announced on Saturday that it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat and operational zones to southern Gaza. Israeli military body in charge of overseeing the humanitarian system to Gaza – The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) – says the supply of tents to the enclave will resume on Sunday. Israeli air strikes are continuing to wreak havoc across the enclave. On Saturday, a strike killed a baby girl and her parents, according to medical sources at the Nasser Hospital which received the bodies. At least 51 others were killed in Israeli attacks elsewhere in Gaza over the past 24 hours. The death toll is now nearing 62,000 since Israel launched its offensive on the enclave in October 2023. Some 50 hostages still remain under Hamas captivity in Gaza, 20 of which are believed to still be alive. The UN says more than 90% of Gaza’s two million population are at dire risk of starvation, after Israel moved to restrict UN aid operations.
The Israeli military body in charge of overseeing the humanitarian system to Gaza – The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) – says the supply of tents to the enclave will resume on Sunday.
The Israeli military did not make further comments or indicate when the mass movement of Palestinians would begin. Defence Minister Israel Katz did however state in a post on his social media platforms that the government is in the final planning stage.
“Now we are in the stage of discussions to formulate the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza and return the hostages, and at their conclusion, there will be a comprehensive and powerful plan to carry out the mission in all its aspects,” wrote Katz in a post on X.
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The announcement comes just a week after Israel’s security cabinet moved to approve plans to occupy Gaza City. It’s a slight downgrade from what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had in mind, as he vowed to take control of Gaza in its entirety.
Israeli attacks continue across Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes are continuing to wreak havoc across the enclave. On Saturday, a strike killed a baby girl and her parents, according to medical sources at the Nasser Hospital which received the bodies. They were killed in their tent in the crowded al-Mawasi area.
“Two and a half months, what has she done?” neighbour Fathi Shubeir asked, “They are civilians in an area designated safe.”
The Israeli Defence Forces did not provide more details on the attack, only asserting that they were dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and stressing that they take precautions not to harm civilians.
Palestinians pray over the bodies of people who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. – Jehad Alshrafi/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
Al-Mawasi is one of the most heavily populated areas in Gaza where Netanyahu says Israel plans to expand its operations in with its upcoming military offensive.
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At least 51 others were killed in Israeli attacks elsewhere in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry says the death toll is now nearing 62,000 since Israel launched its offensive on the enclave in October 2023.
Their figures do not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties, but the UN says more than two-thirds of deaths it has been able to verify were women and children.
Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas staged an attack on southern Israel on 7 October, 2023, killing 1,200 people, according to Israel, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Some 50 hostages still remain under Hamas captivity in Gaza, 20 of which are believed to still be alive.
UN condemns worsening humanitarian crisis
The United Nations have condemned Israel over what it calls a “man-made” humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that it could significantly worsen if immediate measures to alleviate the suffering are not instated.
Advertisement Advertisement
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The UN says more than 90% of Gaza’s two million population are at dire risk of starvation, after Israel moved to restrict UN aid operations, accusing Hamas of looting supplies for their own gain.
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 – Jehad Alshrafi/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.
The UN’s main aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA, has faced severe restrictions after Israel claimed without providing proof that many of its staff were Hamas members.
Israel, along with the US, launched their own aid mission in Gaza to replace traditional UN systems, operated by the Delaware-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF says it distributes millions of meals daily through its hubs, but experts say it’s nowhere near enough to satisfy the needs of the population.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more and more people are dying from starvation. On Saturday, 11 people died, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths to 251, including 108 children.