Israel steps up pressure on Gaza City as Trump readies post-war plan

Gaza: The Israeli military intensified its operations around Gaza City on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump prepared to host a White House meeting on post-war plans for the devastated Palestinian territory.

Facing mounting pressure at home and abroad to end its nearly two-year war in Gaza, Israel is now moving to capture the enclave’s largest city, even as the United Nations has formally declared a famine in the region.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X that the evacuation of Gaza City was “inevitable” and urged families to move south, promising “generous humanitarian aid” for those who complied.

Meanwhile, mediators have circulated a draft ceasefire and hostage-release proposal that Hamas has accepted, though Israel has not yet given its official response. On the ground, Israeli troops said they were operating on the outskirts of Gaza City to dismantle “terror infrastructure” above and below ground.

Residents reported heavy bombardment overnight in the Zeitoun neighborhood. “Warplanes struck several times, and drones fired throughout the night. Several homes in Zeitoun were blown up. We are still in our house — some neighbors have fled, while others remain. But wherever you flee, death follows you,” said 29-year-old Tala Al-Khatib to AFP by telephone.

Another resident, Abdel Hamid Al-Sayfi, 62, said he had not ventured outside since Tuesday afternoon, fearing drone fire. “Whoever steps outside is fired upon by the drones. My phone battery is about to die, and once it does, we will lose all contact. Our fate is unknown.”

Last week, Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to destroy Gaza City if Hamas refused to end the war on Israel’s terms. The defense ministry has already approved a plan to seize the city and authorized the call-up of some 60,000 reservists.

The UN has blamed the famine in Gaza governorate, including Gaza City, on what it called Israel’s “systematic obstruction of aid.”

As Israel pressed ahead, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the president would chair a meeting at the White House on Wednesday to discuss a comprehensive post-war plan for Gaza. Earlier this year, Trump suggested the United States should take control of the enclave, remove its residents, and redevelop it as a seaside real-estate hub, an idea welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but condemned across Europe and the Arab world.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, demanding an end to the war and a deal for the return of hostages. Netanyahu, addressing the issue afterwards, said: “But I will say one thing: it started in Gaza and it will end in Gaza. We will not leave those monsters there.”

Hamas has already accepted a ceasefire proposal that would see hostages released over a 60-day period in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. But Qatar, one of the mediators, said on Tuesday it was still awaiting Israel’s response.

The conflict erupted with Hamas’s 7 October 2023 assault, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Militants seized 251 hostages, of whom 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry that the UN has deemed credible.