IDF prepares to force 1m people out of Gaza City

Palestinians were braced for a new humanitarian disaster yesterday after the Israeli military said it was preparing for the forcible displacement of 1 million people from Gaza City.

- Malak A Tantesh, Gaza Lorenzo Tondo, Jerusalem

The announcement came days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of the city in a plan that raised international alarm. Gaza's health officials said the latest attacks on the territory had killed at least 40 people on Saturday, including a baby in a tent and people seeking aid.

"Based on the directives of the political leadership, and as part of the Israel Defense Forces' preparations to transfer civilians from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their safety, starting tomorrow [Sunday], the provision of tents and shelter equipment for Gaza residents will resume," read a statement by the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories (Cogat).

"The equipment will be transferred through the Kerem Shalom crossing by the United Nations and international relief organizations, after undergoing thorough inspection by the Land Crossings Authority of the Ministry of Defense," it added.

Meanwhile, new recordings broadcast by an Israeli TV station showed the Israeli general who led military intelligence on 7 October 2023, the day of Hamas's attacks, saying that 50 Palestinians "must die" for every person killed that day, and "it does not matter now if they are children".

The channel said the conversations were recorded "in recent months".

Following Israel's announcement, Palestinians in Gaza - displaced repeatedly, forced to live in tents or in the ruins of their homes, stricken by hunger and deprived of medical supplies - were gripped by fear as a new offensive would force them towards the south of the territory and an uncertain future.