Israel Plans Gaza Evacuations as Hostage Families Protest/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Israel announced preparations to relocate Palestinians from northern Gaza combat zones to the south ahead of an expanded offensive. Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages are calling for mass protests, demanding a deal to end the 22-month war. The humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to rise, with airstrikes, starvation, and mounting casualties.
Israel-Gaza Conflict Updates: Quick Looks
- Israel says it will resume sending tents and shelters to Gaza before mass relocation.
- Families of Israeli hostages call for a nationwide protest to demand a ceasefire deal.
- At least 50 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 believed alive.
- Israeli airstrike in Muwasi kills baby girl and her parents.
- Gaza’s Health Ministry reports 11 more malnutrition deaths in 24 hours.
- UN warns starvation levels are at their highest since war began.
- Over 61,000 killed in Gaza since October 2023, ministry says.
- Israel may use threat of wider offensive to pressure Hamas.
- UN says nearly 1,800 killed while seeking aid since late May.
- Weekly rallies in Tel Aviv highlight growing Israeli divisions over the war.
Deep Look: Israel Prepares Gaza Relocation as Protests Over Hostages Intensify
NAHARIYA, Israel (AP) — Israel announced Saturday it is preparing to move Palestinians out of northern Gaza combat zones, part of what officials say is the next stage of its military campaign in one of the world’s most densely populated territories.
The military coordination body for Gaza, known as COGAT, confirmed that shipments of tents and shelter equipment would resume Sunday to support the planned relocation southward. Officials gave no timeline for when the mass movement might begin.
Hostage Families Call for Nationwide Protest
Inside Israel, frustration is reaching a boiling point. Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are demanding a “nationwide day of stoppage” on Sunday, urging mass protests against the government’s war strategy.
Roughly 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with only 20 believed to still be alive. Families were shaken this week by the release of disturbing videos showing emaciated hostages pleading for help.
“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,” said a statement from a group representing families.
At a weekly rally in Tel Aviv, Dana Silberman Sitton, whose relatives died in captivity, urged ordinary Israelis to keep pushing:
“Hope will not come from above — it will only come from us.”
Even some former senior Israeli military and intelligence officials have called for negotiations to halt the war, now dragging into its 22nd month.
Gaza Airstrike Kills Baby and Parents
On the ground in Gaza, the war’s civilian toll mounted further. An Israeli airstrike Saturday hit the crowded Muwasi “safe zone,” killing a baby girl and her parents, according to Nasser Hospital officials and eyewitnesses.
“Two and a half months old — what has she done?” asked neighbor Fathi Shubeir, speaking in 90-degree heat outside their destroyed tent.
The military declined to comment on specifics but reiterated its focus on dismantling Hamas and claimed precautions are taken to minimize civilian harm.
Muwasi is one of the areas where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to expand the offensive. Analysts suggest the mobilization may take weeks and could also be a pressure tactic to force Hamas into concessions on hostages.
Elsewhere, Shifa Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving six bodies from the Zikim area and four more killed by shelling.
Starvation and Malnutrition Worsen
The Gaza Health Ministry said 11 more people — including a child — died of malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing total hunger-related deaths to 251 since the war began.
The United Nations warned that starvation is now at its worst levels, as contaminated water and disease spread among the displaced population of over 2 million people.
One young Palestinian woman, 20, died in Italy after being transferred for emergency care in what doctors described as a state of “severe physical deterioration.”
Despite efforts to expand aid, distribution remains dangerous and limited. The UN Human Rights Office reported at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid since May, including nearly 1,000 near distribution sites run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
War’s Toll on Both Sides
The war began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the abduction of dozens of hostages.
Since then, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that 61,897 Palestinians have been killed, around half women and children. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run administration but staffed by medical professionals, is considered a reliable source by the UN and independent experts, though Israel disputes the figures and has not provided its own.
As Israel weighs its next offensive, the humanitarian crisis deepens, while Israelis themselves prepare to take to the streets, demanding their government prioritize the return of hostages over further escalation.
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