Israel plans relocation of Palestinians ahead of new Gaza offensive

Israel announced on Saturday, 16 August, that it is preparing to relocate Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza as it advances plans for a fresh military offensive in some of the enclave’s most densely populated areas.

The Israeli military body overseeing humanitarian aid, COGAT, said the supply of tents to Gaza would resume on Sunday, though the military declined to specify when the mass movement would begin. Defense minister Israel Katz said on social media that officials were “in the stage of discussions to finalise the plan to defeat Hamas in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages have called for a “nationwide day of stoppage” on Sunday to protest nearly 22 months of war. They voiced deep concern that a new offensive could imperil the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, only about 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. Outrage has grown after the release of videos showing emaciated captives pleading for food and help.

Families of Israeli hostages are intensifying pressure on the government to secure a deal to end the war in Gaza, a demand echoed in recent weeks by several former military and intelligence chiefs.

A coalition representing the families has urged citizens to take to the streets on Sunday, declaring: “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.”

At a weekly rally in Tel Aviv, relatives shared emotional appeals. “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.

Pushpa Joshi, sister of kidnapped Nepalese student Bipin Joshi, also addressed the crowd: “I miss my best friend,” she said.

Airstrike kills baby and parents in Gaza’s ‘safe zone’

An Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed a baby girl and her parents in Gaza’s crowded Muwasi area, according to officials at Nasser Hospital and witnesses. The victims, identified as Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and their infant daughter, were struck inside their tent.

“Two and a half months, what has she done? They are civilians in an area designated safe,” said neighbor Fathi Shubeir, as temperatures in the devastated enclave rose above 32°C.

The Israeli military said it could not comment on the specific strike without more details, adding that it was focused on dismantling Hamas’ military infrastructure and takes steps to avoid civilian harm.

Muwasi, one of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, is among the zones where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel plans to expand its offensive, alongside Gaza City and the central refugee camps of Nuseirat and Bureij. Analysts suggest the threat may also be aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages captured in the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Separately, Shifa Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving the bodies of six people killed in the Zikim area of northern Gaza, along with four others killed in shelling.

With AP/PTI inputs