The Israeli military has declared what it calls the “last opportunity” for Gaza City residents to flee south, intensifying its bombardment and ground operations across the enclave.
Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that civilians who remain in the city would be considered “terrorists and terrorist supporters,” escalating pressure on families already trapped under two years of war.
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 46 fatalities from the latest attacks, including 36 killed in Gaza City, underscoring the rising toll on civilians amid the ongoing offensive.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was suspending its humanitarian operations in Gaza City due to the intensifying hostilities.
Humanitarian law experts warned that Israeli evacuation orders constitute forced displacement under international law, stressing that civilians who remain behind cannot be stripped of their protected status.
Despite this, the Israeli military said its priority is to isolate Hamas fighters in northern Gaza while encouraging civilians to relocate southwards.
The Israeli army also confirmed the closure of the last remaining route from southern Gaza to the north, effectively cutting the enclave in two. While movement northwards has been blocked, residents of Gaza City and the northern areas can still use a narrow coastal road to flee south.
However, aid groups say the journey is perilous, with bombardments continuing along evacuation routes, making many families hesitant to move.
Alongside the military pressure, Hamas is deliberating on a response to Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal. The plan, announced earlier this week, demands that Hamas disarm and relinquish its governing role in Gaza.
It also calls for the release of 48 Israeli hostages within 72 hours of a ceasefire agreement, in exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and gradually pulling its forces back to a buffer zone along Gaza’s perimeter.
Trump’s proposal includes an international commitment to surge humanitarian assistance and fund large-scale reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
According to Palestinian sources close to the group, Hamas is seeking amendments to several clauses.
These include guarantees of a full Israeli withdrawal, protection against targeted assassinations of its leaders, and adjustments to provisions on disarmament and political exclusion.
While Hamas has yet to issue a formal statement, sources suggest the group is weighing whether to submit a qualified response rather than an outright rejection.
The Trump plan has been welcomed by several regional and international powers, including Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, said that elements of the proposal required further negotiations, echoing similar remarks from Qatar a day earlier.
Turkey is also expected to play a role, with its intelligence chief joining mediation talks in Doha alongside Egyptian and Qatari officials. Whether Hamas’s senior leadership will participate in person remains unclear, following a recent Israeli strike in Doha that targeted its officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already cast doubt on the deal’s implementation.
In a video statement following Trump’s announcement, Netanyahu said that Israeli forces would remain in control of much of Gaza, contradicting the plan’s outlined terms of withdrawal.
This position reflects longstanding Israeli concerns about Hamas’s future role and the possibility of renewed attacks if the group retains military capacity.
For Hamas, the plan represents what many analysts describe as an ultimatum for near-total surrender. Disarming and accepting the deployment of international forces—or potentially Israeli troops—in Gaza would likely end its role as a central actor in Palestinian politics.
Already, two militant factions allied with Hamas in Gaza have rejected Trump’s proposal outright, arguing that it would entrench Israeli dominance over the territory.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate at alarming speed. Health officials reported that two more Palestinians died of starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths to 455 since the war began.
According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 170,000 wounded since October 2023, when Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
The ongoing Israeli campaign, which began in response, has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure and left its population dependent on increasingly scarce humanitarian supplies.
Civilians who have attempted to comply with evacuation orders have faced immense hardship. Families moving south report shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, as well as a lack of safe shelter.
Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire have struck convoys and temporary shelters, including a school in Gaza City repurposed to house displaced families, leading to further civilian casualties.
Witnesses say that residents face an impossible choice: stay in homes under bombardment or attempt to flee into areas already overwhelmed by displacement and aid shortages.
International humanitarian agencies have warned that Gaza is on the brink of famine, with starvation deaths rising daily. Fuel shortages have crippled hospitals and water desalination plants, leaving medical facilities unable to cope with the influx of casualties.
Aid groups say that without a ceasefire and large-scale humanitarian access, the death toll from starvation, disease, and untreated wounds could soon rival or exceed those killed directly by Israeli attacks.
The international community remains deeply divided. Western allies of Israel, including the United States and European states, continue to express support for Trump’s plan as the best available path to a ceasefire, despite its heavy demands on Hamas.
At the same time, legal and humanitarian experts have raised alarm over Israel’s tactics, with the United Nations and rights groups warning of potential breaches of international law through indiscriminate bombardment and forced displacement.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the prospect of Trump’s plan has been met with deep skepticism. Many residents question whether disarmament and the sidelining of Hamas would truly lead to peace or simply prolong Israeli military dominance.
Others fear that the plan’s failure to provide a clear path toward Palestinian statehood will entrench the status quo, leaving Gaza devastated and politically fragmented.
Despite these concerns, Trump’s proposal remains the only internationally recognized framework currently under discussion. With mounting casualties and humanitarian collapse, pressure is increasing on Hamas to issue a formal response. Mediators in Doha are expected to continue consultations in the coming days, but the outcome remains uncertain.
As Israel presses its assault on Gaza City and labels those who remain as enemy sympathizers, civilians are trapped in an ever-shrinking space with limited options for survival.
Whether Hamas accepts, amends, or rejects the Trump plan could determine not only the immediate future of the war but also the broader trajectory of Palestinian politics and Israel’s long-term strategy in Gaza.
For now, the war continues to grind on, leaving Gaza’s population facing displacement, hunger, and the relentless threat of bombardment with no clear end in sight.
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