Palestinians were gripped by fear and anxiety on Sunday after the Israeli military said it was preparing for the forcible displacement of one million people from Gaza City.
The announcement came days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of the territory’s largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm, and in advance of the IDF’s latest attacks in the Palestinian territory which Gaza’s health officials said had killed at least 40 people on Saturday including a baby in a tent and people seeking aid.
“Based on the directives of the political leadership, and as part of the Israel Defense Forces’ preparations to transfer civilians from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their safety, starting tomorrow [Sunday], the provision of tents and shelter equipment for Gaza residents will resume,” read a statement by the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories.
[ Thousands of Israelis join one-day general strike in support of hostagesOpens in new window ]
“The equipment will be transferred through the Kerem Shalom crossing by the United Nations and international relief organisations, after undergoing thorough inspection by the Land Crossings Authority of the Ministry of Defense,” it added.
Meanwhile, new recordings broadcast by an Israeli TV station showed the Israeli general who headed military intelligence on October 7th, 2023, saying that 50 Palestinians “must die” for every person killed that day, and “it does not matter now if they are children”. The channel said the undated conversations were recorded “in recent months”.
Thousands of Israelis stayed home from work, flooded city streets and blocked roads and highways across the country on Sunday, staging some of the largest anti-war protests in months as the military prepares for a major assault on Gaza City. https://t.co/S4eBx4BWzE pic.twitter.com/OunIurUPEg
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 17, 2025
And in the United States, the state department announced that it would stop issuing visas to children from Gaza in desperate need of medical care after an online pressure campaign from Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer close to Donald Trump who has described herself as “a proud Islamophobe”.
[ US stops issuing visas for sick Gazan children after campaign led by Laura LoomerOpens in new window ]
Following Israel’s announcement, Palestinians in Gaza – displaced repeatedly, forced to live in tent camps or amid the ruins of their homes, stricken by hunger and deprived of medical supplies – are bracing for another humanitarian disaster. A new offensive would force them towards the south of the territory and an uncertain future.
“We are already destroyed and exhausted, physically and psychologically, from repeated displacement, from the lack of food and water,” said 85-year-old Gaza City resident Akram Shlabia. “And now they want us to go to the south! Into nothingness, into the unknown, into a place without shelter or the basic means of life, even safety.”
“We will face many problems in displacement,” said Mazen Hasaneh (40), who has been displaced six times during the war. “First, securing a way to transport the necessary items like a tent and other basics, and of course many drivers will exploit people’s desperation and raise prices, while people have no money to pay.
“The second problem is finding a place to set up the tent and settle ... especially in our current conditions.”
Some families have already begun moving south to secure shelter in anticipation of possible evacuation, while others are contacting relatives to ask about available space should the Israeli plan proceed. Yet many say they will remain in Gaza City, declaring they would rather stay than face the hardships of displacement.
“If the plan is carried out, I will look for a safe place for myself and my children within Gaza and I will not consider moving to the south of the Strip,” said Asma Al-Barawi, the mother of seven children. “I didn’t leave the first time, and I won’t leave this time. The experiences and suffering I heard from the displaced who went south were harsh and unbearable.
“I lost everything because of this war. I lost two of my brothers, two of my maternal aunts with their families, my cousin, and my father-in-law. And I lost my new home, which I only left with some clothes.”
In recent days, heavy explosions have echoed from areas east of Gaza, where Israeli forces have intensified operations, including artillery barrages and the start of an incursion on the outskirts of the Sabra neighbourhood.
On Saturday, a baby girl and her parents were killed when an Israeli air strike hit a tent in al-Muwasi, previously designated a humanitarian zone by Israel, in southern Gaza, said Nasser hospital officials and witnesses.
“Two-and-a-half-months-old, what has she done?” asked a neighbour, Fathi Shubeir. “They are civilians in an area designated safe.”
Israel’s military said it could not comment on the strike without more details.
Al-Muwasi is now one of the most heavily populated areas in Gaza after Israel pushed people into the desolate area. But Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu said last week that the country planned to widen its coming military offensive to include the area, along with Gaza City and “central camps” – an apparent reference to the built-up Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza.
According to the civil defence agency, at least 13 of the Palestinians killed on Saturday were shot by troops as they were waiting to collect food aid near distribution sites in the north and south.
There were also another 11 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza over the past 24 hours, said the health ministry, including at least one child. That brought malnutrition-related deaths due to the Israeli blockade on aid to 251. – Guardian
