Gaza City residents refuse to leave as Israel announces new 'humanitarian zone,' expands military operations
On Friday, Israel leveled the 13-floor Mushtaha tower in western Gaza City, claiming that Hamas used the high-rise building to install intelligence gathering equipment and position observation posts to monitor the location of IDF troops in the area.
The claim has been rejected by the tower's administration, which said the tower had only been hosting displaced civilians since it was damaged last year.
A day later, Israeli warplanes attacked the 15-floor al-Sousi tower, also in western Gaza City, reducing it to rubble within minutes, and leaving nearby houses, shops, and streets heavily damaged.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman of the Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua, "The bombardment aims to force residents to evacuate, turning entire neighborhoods into empty areas."
Having called the recent Israeli bombardments part of "a systematic policy of displacement," Hamas on Saturday said in a press statement that it is committed to the 60-day ceasefire proposal presented by Qatar and Egypt on Aug. 18, and is open to any ideas or proposals aimed at achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Any future agreement must include a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the unconditional entry of humanitarian aid, and a genuine prisoner exchange deal through serious negotiations mediated by international actors, Hamas said.
Since the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to about 250 hostages being taken, Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians and wounded 161,000, according to Gaza-based health authorities.
On Saturday, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, in a phone call with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, urged stepping up regional and international efforts to end the brutal Gaza war, ensuring the sustainable and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, and securing the release of prisoners and detainees.
