• Israel points out plans to expel civilians from the city of Gaza, supplying tents ahead of a large assault
• Hamas calls the relocation plans ‘A brutal assault’ and ‘shameless deception to cover the massacre’
• Israeli rally that seek end to war, a prison exchange agreement
Gaza Strip: Gaza’s Civil Defense Agency said Israeli attacks killed at least 40 people on Saturday, since the Israeli army hinted at a call that approached to push civilians to the city of Gaza before a new offensive.
The last toll occurs more than a week after the Israel security cabinet approved the plans to capture the largest city in the Palestinian territory, after 22 months of war that have created terrible humanitarian conditions.
According to the Civil Defense Agency, at least 13 of the Palestinians killed on Saturday were killed by troops while waiting to collect food aid near distribution sites in the north and in the south.
Before the offensive, Cogat said that as of Sunday, the military would supply more tents and refuge equipment.
“As part of the preparations to move the population of fighting areas to the South Gaza Strip for protection, the supply of tents and refuge equipment to Gaza will resume,” he said in a statement.
Later, Hamas criticized the movement, saying that the announcement was part of a “brutal assault to occupy the city of Gaza.”
Previously, Gaza’s civil defense spokesman, Mahmud Bassal, said the conditions in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza city were quickly deteriorating with residents who had little or no access to food and water in the middle of the heavy Israeli bombing.
The spokesman added that it was estimated that around 50,000 people were in that area of the city of Gaza, “most of which have no food or water” and lack “the basic needs of life.”
Bassal told him AFP The number of people killed in the Central Gaza Strip on Saturday had increased to 40.
On Friday, the Israeli army said his troops were operating in Zeitun.
Hamas said in a statement that the Israeli forces had been carrying out a “sustained offensive in the eastern and southern neighborhoods of the city of Gaza, particularly in Zeitun.”
Meanwhile, the head of the Israeli army cabinet said Sunday that the army was pressing with plans for the next phase of his Gaza offensive, with an focus in the city of Gaza.
“Today we are approving the plan for the next phase of the war,” said Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir during a field visit to the Palestinian territory, according to an army statement.
In response, Hamas said the plans would result in “a new wave of extermination and mass displacement.”
The Palestinian group also condemned the proposals “a main crime of war” that, according to him, reflected the “contempt of Israel for international and humanitarian law.”
Hamas said Israel’s statements about this, including his plans for the installation of tents in southern Gaza, were “a shameless hoax to cover the imminent massacre and forced displacement.”
Israeli rally
The protesters throughout Israel requested Sunday for an end of the Gaza War and an agreement to free the prisoners who still have Hamas, an impulse criticized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies.
The protests occur more than a week after the Israel security cabinet approved the plans to capture the city of Gaza.
A huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was deployed in the hostage call of Tel Aviv, which for a long time has been a focal point for protests throughout the war.
The protesters also blocked the roads, including the road that connects Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where they set fire to the tires, according to the images of the local media.
Some members of the Israeli government who oppose any agreement with Hamas criticized Sunday’s demonstrations.
Hambruna warnings
Israeli plans to expand war to the city of Gaza and the nearby refugee fields have caused an international protest and domestic opposition.
Experts supported by the UN have warned about the generalized development of famine in the territory, where Israel has drastically reduced the amount of humanitarian aid it allows.
Posted in Dawn, August 18, 2025
