Israel has issued one of the most sweeping evacuation orders for civilians in Gaza yet seen in this war.
Large swathes of Gaza City, an area already partially destroyed by bombing, have been declared unsafe, the residents taking shelter there told to leave for their own safety ahead of “intense strikes” by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Among the buildings highlighted by Israel are the Islamic University, Al-Shifa Hospital and three former schools.
While Israel alleges that the buildings are being used by Hamas as “command and control centres”, local authorities and aid agencies say there are thousands of civilians sheltering there.
Evacuating these areas would require time, they say, and there could be huge numbers of casualties.
It’s an ominous sign of Israel’s threat to significantly expand its military campaign in Gaza.
The former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has been one of very few senior Israelis so far to speak out against expanding the military campaign in Gaza.
In an interview with the BBC, Olmert said: “Most Israelis are against what is happening, large numbers of the [army’s] commanders are against expanding the military operation and want to end the war right now.”
Olmert is a frequent and increasingly vocal critic of Israel’s current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his views reflect growing concern about the impact of the 20-month-long war on the country’s morale, economy and international standing.
Olmert was also outspoken on the humanitarian impact of the war on the residents of Gaza.
“It’s totally intolerable, unacceptable and unforgivable, it needs to be stopped right away,” said the former top official, who has been accused by pro-government outlets of “lobbying for Palestinians”.
He added: “We have to provide all of the humanitarian needs of the population. We can’t allow morally the beginning of famine in Gaza. That has to stop.”
Such opinions are rarely reflected in the Israeli media or in public opinion polls but they’ve been urgently repeated in passionate speeches in recent days by UN organisations, aid agencies and by some of Israel’s allies abroad – French President Emmanuel Macron called Israel’s actions in Gaza “shameful”. Netanyahu accused him of “standing with Hamas”.
There’s growing evidence of profound suffering across Gaza after a 10-week blockade, during which Israel has prevented the entry of any food, medicines or fuel into the Palestinian enclave.
A UN-backed assessment has said that Gaza’s population of around 2.1 million Palestinians is at “critical risk” of famine and faces “extreme levels of food insecurity”. The World Health Organisation says without enough nutritious food, clean water and access to health care, an entire generation will be permanently affected.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer insisted to the BBC that “Israel is certainly not starving Gaza”.
“I don’t dispute that there is hunger in Gaza, but we believe that it is hunger caused by Hamas. There is food in Gaza, that’s our information. There is no famine,” he said.
Israel also resumed its aerial bombardment of Gaza on 18 March and its attacks have killed 2,799 since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, including 80 people on Wednesday.
There are faint hopes that an updated US-sponsored ceasefire proposal could still be accepted by Israel and Hamas. It reportedly would see the release of some remaining hostages in exchange for an unspecified period of calm.
However Netanyahu has said Israel will expand its military offensive in Gaza and that nothing will stop the war. Hamas meanwhile has refused to release the remaining hostages unless Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire and withdraws from Gaza.
On Wednesday evening 67 former hostages signed a letter urging Netanyahu to reach a “comprehensive deal” for the return of all captives still being held by Hamas.
“The majority of Israeli society wants the hostages home – even at the cost of halting military operations,” the letter said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the letter was written to build on the “historic momentum” after Edan Alexander’s release. Hamas said it freed the 21-year-old as a goodwill gesture to Donald Trump, who is visiting the region.
The ex-hostages’ letter appealed to Trump not to “let this historic momentum stop”.
A poll for Israel’s Channel 12 at the end of April suggested that 68% of respondents supported signing a hostage deal with Hamas even if it meant ending the war, while just 22% supported continued fighting in Gaza.
So far Netanyahu remains unmoved.
“Despite American determination, there is no change in the PM’s position – we will not allow an end to the war,” an official in Mr Netanyahu’s entourage said, according to diplomatic sources.
Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 52,928 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the health ministry says.
