On August 17 (local time), Hamas spoke out against Israel's plan to relocate residents from Gaza city. According to Hamas, this move is not to protect the people but a "new wave of elimination and deportation" targeting hundreds of thousands of residents here.
The Israeli military said it was preparing to set up tents and provide equipment in southern Gaza to move people from the conflict areas, citing safety concerns.
However, Hamas insists that this is an act of forging humanitarian purposes, to cover up a brutal crime that Israeli forces are preparing to commit.
Israel has announced plans to launch a new operation to control the northern part of Gaza City, the country's largest urban center. That information has raised international concerns about the fate of the heavily damaged strip of land that is now home to about 2.2 million people.
The conflict escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and detaining 251 as hostages, according to Israeli officials. Of the remaining 50 hostages, 20 are believed to be alive.
Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The situation has also caused a hunger crisis, forcing the majority of residents to flee their homes and leaving much of the Gaza Strip in ruins.
