Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday urged residents of Gaza City to evacuate, warning that troops were preparing to into the territory’s main urban center.
"In two days we brought down 50 terror towers, and this is only the opening stage of the intensified ground manoeuvre in Gaza City. I say to the residents: you have been warned, leave now!" he said in a video statement.
"All of this is just a prelude, just the opening, to the main intensified operation, the ground manoeuvre of our forces, who are now organising and assembling to enter Gaza City," Netanyahu added.
The prime minister’s warning followed one of the deadliest civilian attacks in Jerusalem since the war began, when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a bus, killing six people, as per Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar.
The shooting occurred at a key intersection at Jerusalem’s northern entrance, on a road leading to Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem.
The attackers have been identified as Mohammad Taha, 21, from Qatanna, and Muthanna Amro, 20, from Qubeiba by the Shin Bet, as cited by the Times of Israel.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz on Monday also warned Hamas to release hostages and surrender its weapons, threatening the destruction of Gaza and the group’s elimination if it refused.
“This is a final warning to the Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and put down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated," Katz said through a post on X.
The warning follows
US President Donald Trump’s “last warning” to Hamas to accept his ceasefire and hostage release plan. On Sunday, Trump stated that Israel had agreed to his terms and that Hamas must also comply.
Israel has stepped up airstrikes on Gaza City in advance of a planned ground operation, despite repeated calls from Western governments and aid organisations to halt the offensive.
At least 39 people were killed on Monday, including 25 in Gaza City, as per Gaza’s civil defence agency.
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