Some Palestinian families have started moving out of eastern Gaza City under heavy bombardment, heading west or preparing to go south, amid signs Israel is preparing a ground offensive to seize the enclave’s largest urban center.
The plan has stoked alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis mounted some of the biggest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end fighting and free the roughly 50 hostages still held in Gaza.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators met Hamas representatives in Cairo in what one source called a “last-ditch attempt” to revive talks after previous rounds collapsed in late July. Discussions were expected to continue on Monday, the sources said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cast Gaza City as Hamas’ last bastion. Israel, which says it controls about 75% of the territory, has warned an expanded push could further imperil surviving hostages and bog its forces down in prolonged urban warfare.
Inside Gaza City, unions have called a protest for Thursday to demand an end to the conflict and press Hamas to intensify negotiations to avert an Israeli incursion. “I’m moving my parents and my family to the south today or tomorrow. I can’t risk losing any of them,” said Tamer Burai, a businessman in the city.
The Israeli military said Saturday it was preparing to supply tents and other shelter equipment before relocating civilians from combat zones toward the south, but gave no details on quantities or timelines. Palestinian economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab estimated at least 100,000 new tents would be required, saying existing ones are worn out and fresh stocks have been choked by restrictions at border crossings. Some families, he added, have already rented space in the south and moved belongings there.
The U.N. humanitarian office says about 1.35 million people in Gaza need emergency shelter items.
The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s air and ground campaign, Gaza health authorities say, with most of the 2.2 million residents displaced. Gaza’s Health Ministry said five more people died of malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing reported deaths from hunger and related causes to 263, including 112 children. Israel disputes figures issued by authorities in the Hamas-run territory.