Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on Wednesday that all remaining Palestinians must leave Gaza City, calling it their "last opportunity" to flee south. He stated that anyone who remains would be considered a "terrorist and terror supporter" and would face the "full force" of Israel's ongoing offensive . This order tightens the encirclement of the city and deepens fears of a permanent displacement of the Palestinian population, as the military also announced it would no longer allow people to return north .
The order comes as hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in Gaza City, many too weak, ill, or impoverished to afford the journey south to the overcrowded tent camps . The city is suffering from a confirmed famine, and the United Nations has warned that far more humanitarian aid is needed, citing an inability to reliably distribute supplies due to Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order .
Israeli airstrikes and tank fire continued to pummel residential neighborhoods across Gaza. On Wednesday, local health authorities reported at least 35 Palestinians were killed, with most of the casualties in Gaza City . Specific attacks included a strike on a school sheltering displaced people, which killed seven, including first responders, and an attack on people gathered around a drinking water tank that killed five . These incidents are part of a war that has now killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 170,000 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry .
The violence has also claimed the lives of journalists reporting on the ground. Dozens attended the funeral for freelance journalist Yahya Barzaq, who was killed in an airstrike the previous day while working for a Turkish broadcast outlet . He is among the more than 189 Palestinian journalists and media workers killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the war began .
This military escalation unfolds as Hamas deliberates a new peace proposal unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump. The 20-point plan, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already backed, demands that Hamas release all remaining hostages, surrender its weapons, and relinquish any future role in governing Gaza . In return, the plan stipulates an immediate ceasefire and a staged, but not clearly timed, Israeli withdrawal from the enclave . Trump has given Hamas a deadline of three to four days to agree, warning them they would otherwise "pay in hell" .
However, the plan is facing significant criticism for being heavily weighted toward Israeli interests. A Palestinian official familiar with the deliberations described the choice as one between "bitter choices," calling the plan "a Netanyahu plan articulated by Trump" . Analysts and Palestinian leaders have pointed out that the document provides no guarantees for the Palestinian people and offers no clear path to a sovereign Palestinian state, a key demand of the Arab and Muslim world .
Critical details in Trump's plan remain vague, creating what many see as dangerous loopholes for Israel. The agreement does not set a schedule for Israel's withdrawal and vaguely allows Israel to maintain a "security perimeter" until the territory is deemed "properly secured" . This has led to concerns that Israel could use this clause to maintain a permanent security presence, effectively continuing the occupation.
Furthermore, the plan's governance structure has been criticized for undermining Palestinian self-determination. While it proposes a technocratic Palestinian committee for day-to-day administration, this body would operate under the oversight of an international "Board of Peace" chaired by Trump himself . Palestinian lawyer and analyst Diana Buttu noted, "If you read the agreement itself, there are no guarantees provided to the Palestinians, not a single guarantee. All guarantees are provided to the Israelis" . This has fueled fears that the plan is less a roadmap to peace and more a mechanism for imposing a permanent settlement that ignores fundamental Palestinian rights.
Key Arab mediators, including Qatar and Egypt, have acknowledged the plan's shortcomings but are urging Hamas to view it as a starting point. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani stated that the plan achieves the main goals of stopping the war and securing a full Israeli withdrawal, though he conceded it has "practical and implementation challenges" that need clarification and negotiation . Egypt's Foreign Minister similarly stated that the proposal requires more negotiations on certain elements .
Hamas is now under immense pressure from both the ultimatum from Washington and the encouragement from regional mediators. While the group is "keen to end the war and end the genocide," it must decide whether to accept a deal that demands its surrender without securing core Palestinian national aspirations . As the group's review stretches into a third day, the people of Gaza are caught between the "full force" of a military offensive and a peace plan that offers them few concrete protections for their future .