Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a statement telling Palestinians to “get out” of Gaza City, warning the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would escalate its attacks on the city unless Hamas releases the remaining hostages.
There are an estimated one million people in the city, which international authorities recently declared is in a state of famine.
It comes amid stalled U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations, as well as allegations from the Spanish Government, and a group of Hollywood actors and directors, of Israel carrying out a genocide in Gaza.
Gaza
Over the last week, the IDF has bombed high-rise residential buildings in Gaza City.
In post to X, Netanyahu said the bombings were “only the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza City,” telling Palestinians to “get out of there!”
The 45km² city’s population is estimated at around one million people.
Residents told international media they were warned to evacuate about 20 minutes before one of the strikes, and told to go to the city of Khan Younis, 24km away.
Israel has repeatedly struck the city since October 2023, including recent strikes on the Palestinian Red Crescent headquarters that killed aid workers.
Last week, parts of Khan Younis were declared humanitarian zones. According to local authorities, Israeli strikes have killed 13 people in that area since it was designated.
The UN estimates that close to 90% of Gaza is under Israeli military evacuation orders, and more than 90% of residences have been destroyed by Israeli strikes.
The UN has accused Israel of “targeting tents of displaced Palestinians” in humanitarian areas, “killing entire families,” on at least 64 occasions.
In a speech to the Human Rights Council on Monday, UN human rights chief Volker Türk called Gaza “a graveyard.”
“Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza [and] its commission of war crime upon war crime are shocking the conscience of the world,” Türk said.
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He called on the Israeli Government to comply with legal directions from the International Court of Justice “to prevent acts of genocide” and provide more aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Ceasefire
Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel had accepted the terms of a ceasefire and hostage release deal, telling Hamas it was its “last warning” to accept. Hamas said it was discussing ideas with mediators about the deal.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar later confirmed the Government had “answered positively” to the U.S. proposal.
Hamas is seeking a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, while Israel wants Hamas to give up its weapons and release all remaining hostages.
Spain
On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced his country would officially institute an embargo (ban) on arms sold to the IDF. The embargo has been unofficially in force since October 2023.
Sánchez also said no ships or planes carrying fuel or weapons for the IDF will be allowed to stop in Spanish ports or fly through its airspace.
“This is not self-defence. It is not even an attack. It is the extermination of a defenceless people,” Sánchez said, noting “many experts” have said Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza.
Hollywood
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 film workers have signed a pledge refusing to work with Israeli cinemas, film festivals, or production companies “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
Signatories include Emma Stone, Ayo Edibiri, Mark Ruffalo, Olivia Colman, and Josh O’Connor.
The pledge defines “implicated” as “whitewashing or justifying” genocide, or working with the Israeli Government.
The Israeli Film and TV Producers Association said the pledge was “targeting the wrong people.”
