According to new IDF estimates, Gaza City has been almost completely emptied of Palestinians . The Times of Israel reports. According to the army, approximately 900,000 of the one million Palestinians who lived in Gaza City before the major IDF offensive have been evacuated to the southern Strip.
Last month, civilians were ordered to evacuate all areas of Gaza City and move to an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone. According to Israeli data, the rate of Palestinian abandonment of the area has increased in recent weeks, as the IDF advances toward Gaza City.
Meanwhile, following Hamas's conditional approval of Trump's plan, Israel, which had announced a suspension of attacks at the US president's request, continued bombing Gaza.
According to Hamas , 70 Palestinians were killed in IDF attacks yesterday: this, Hamas writes, "exposes the false claims of the war criminal Netanyahu's government regarding the reduction of military operations against defenseless civilians."
Regarding the peace plan negotiations, Donald Trump announced that Israel has accepted the initial withdrawal line. "Once Hamas confirms, the ceasefire will take effect immediately, the exchange of hostages and prisoners will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of the withdrawal, which will bring us closer to ending this catastrophe."
Negotiations begin on Monday in Sharm el-Sheik : at the table are delegations from Hamas and Israel, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the tycoon's son-in-law.
The negotiations will focus on the timing and modalities of the hostages' release but also on various points raised or dodged by Hamas: from its disarmament to its role in the future government of the Strip up to the withdrawal of the Israeli army .
The feeling is that there's much work to be done, beyond Trump's triumphalist announcements. On the one hand, Hamas has only agreed to the release of the hostages and the subsequent ceasefire, and on the rest, especially the organization's younger members are unwilling to make too many concessions to Israel. On the other , Netanyahu himself must contend with the most extremist wing of his government, intent on continuing the war until the capture of Gaza City and the annihilation of the Palestinians.
(Unioneonline)