The Japan Times - Israel issues 'last' warning for Gazans to flee main city

Witnesses reported heavy bombardment in Gaza City, as Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said the army was tightening its encirclement of the city.

"This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas operatives isolated in Gaza City," Katz posted on X, warning that those who remained would "be considered terrorists and terrorist supporters".

Katz said the military had seized the Netzarim corridor, linking central Gaza to the western coast, effectively cutting the north of Gaza off from the south.

Anyone leaving Gaza City for the south would have to pass through Israeli military checkpoints, he added.

The announcement came hours after the military said it was closing the last remaining route for people to travel from southern Gaza to the north.

In Gaza City, 60-year-old Rabah al-Halabi, sheltering in a tent on the grounds of Al-Shifa Hospital, described relentless explosions.

"I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the situation in the southern Gaza Strip," he told AFP by telephone.

"All areas are dangerous, the bombing is everywhere, and displacement is terrifying and humiliating," he said.

"We are waiting for death, or perhaps relief from God and for the truce to come."

Hamas said Katz's comments were "a prelude to the escalation of war crimes being committed by his army".

- 'Ceasefire at any cost' -

The International Committee of the Red Cross said intensified military operations had forced it to temporarily suspend activities in Gaza City.

Days earlier, the Doctors Without Borders charity halted its work in the city, where some UN agencies and aid organisations still operate.

Meanwhile, Hamas was examining a peace plan proposed by Trump and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

A Palestinian source close to Hamas's leaders told AFP that "no final decision" had been made and that "the movement will likely need two to three days".

"Hamas wants to amend some of the items such as the disarmament clause and the expulsion of Hamas," the source said.

They added that Hamas wanted "international guarantees" for a full Israeli withdrawal and guarantees Israel would not violate a ceasefire.

Gaza's civil defence agency -- a rescue force operating under Hamas authority -- said Israeli strikes killed at least 46 people across the territory on Wednesday, including 36 in Gaza City.

Asked about a strike on a school-turned-shelter that the agency said killed eight people, the Israeli military said it had "struck a Hamas terrorist" and that "steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible".

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP cannot independently verify casualty figures provided by either side.

Fadel al-Jadba, 26, said he would stay in Gaza City.

"We want a ceasefire at any cost because we are frustrated, exhausted, and find no one in the world standing with us," he told AFP.

- 'Two opinions' in Hamas -

Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Hamas had "about three or four days" to accept his 20-point Gaza plan, later warning the Islamist movement would "pay in hell" if it refused.

A source familiar with the talks in Doha said "two opinions exist within Hamas".

"The first supports unconditional approval, as the priority is a ceasefire under Trump's guarantees, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan," the source told AFP.

"The second has serious reservations regarding key clauses, rejecting disarmament and the expulsion of any Palestinian from Gaza. They favour conditional approval with clarifications reflecting Hamas's and the resistance factions' demands."

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 66,148 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

M.Sugiyama--JT