Egypt says Palestinians being forced from Gaza, calls ‘voluntary’ claims ‘nonsense

“If there is a manmade famine (in Gaza), it is to push residents out of their land. It is nonsense to say that this is voluntary displacement,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters in Cairo at a joint press conference with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the idea that Palestinians should be allowed to leave Gaza if they wish to and said other countries could receive them. His office said on Friday he had spoken about the “basic human right” of people to choose where to live, especially during wartime.

Strikes on Gaza City

The Israeli military said on Saturday it struck a multi-storey building in Gaza City that it claimed Hamas was using for intelligence purposes. It said civilians were warned beforehand. Defence Minister Israel Katz shared a video online showing the tower collapsing, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Hamas denied the building was used for military activities. Palestinians said it was sheltering displaced families.

Earlier in the day, Gaza health authorities reported at least 23 Palestinians killed, including 13 in Gaza City.

Residents were urged by the Israeli military to head towards Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which it described as a “humanitarian zone” with food and medical assistance.

Ceasefire efforts

Egypt has been mediating between Israel and Hamas to try to end the nearly two-year-old war. Abdelatty said he had discussed the latest ceasefire proposal with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday, blaming Israel’s stance for delays in reaching a truce.

Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza carry their belongings along the coastal road toward southern Gaza. (AP)

Hamas said last month it accepted a plan for a 60-day ceasefire under which it would release half of the hostages it still holds in exchange for Israel freeing some Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu later said Israel would continue negotiations but only on terms acceptable to his government.

The war began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza. Israel says 20 of the 48 captives still held are believed to be alive.

Since then, more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza health authorities. Much of the territory has been destroyed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Israel says Hamas uses civilian areas for military purposes and that capturing Gaza City is vital to defeating the group, which it says has been reduced to guerrilla warfare. Amnesty International has urged Israel to stop the offensive, warning of rising civilian deaths.

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