Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reignited controversy by once again suggesting the “voluntary relocation” of Palestinians from Gaza, as Israel prepares for a new military push to seize control of Gaza City.
In comments to broadcaster i24NEWS, Netanyahu said: “They are not being expelled; they are allowed to leave. All those who care about the Palestinians and say they want to help should open their doors and stop lecturing us.”
Palestinian man, displaced by the Israeli offensive, rests outside his tent where he shelters on beach amid summer heat, in Gaza City, August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
The proposal echoes previous statements from both Israeli leadership and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who promoted a plan to depopulate Gaza and redevelop the area. Critics say the idea, coupled with Israel’s intensified military campaign, has heightened global outrage over destruction, displacement, and famine in the enclave.
Military operations intensify
According to Israeli officials, the planned operation to retake Gaza City could begin within weeks. This leaves a narrow window for a potential ceasefire, though negotiations so far have failed. Overnight, Israeli airstrikes and tank fire hit the eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City, including Zeitoun and Shejaiya, destroying homes and killing at least 12 people, according to Al-Ahli Hospital.
Palestinian woman Soha Tafesh carries the body of her granddaughter Sarah Abu Daf, who was killed in an early morning Israeli strike on a house, according to medics, at a cemetry in Gaza City, August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
In southern Gaza, tanks destroyed multiple homes east of Khan Younis, while in the central strip, Palestinian doctors reported that nine people waiting for humanitarian aid were killed in two separate incidents.
Ceasefire talks in Cairo
Meanwhile, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya met Egyptian mediators to discuss ending the war, delivering aid, and alleviating civilian suffering. Egyptian security sources said talks would also explore a broader truce involving Hamas relinquishing governance in Gaza and disarming.
A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to ideas if Israel withdrew, but insisted, “Laying down arms before ending the occupation is impossible.”
Severe hunger crisis
The renewed push comes as 24 foreign ministers — including from the UK, Canada, Australia, France, and Japan — warned that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis had reached “unthinkable levels” and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid.
Israel rejects responsibility for the famine, accusing Hamas of stealing supplies. It says it has expanded deliveries, citing nearly 320 aid trucks entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom and Zikim in the past 24 hours, along with three fuel tankers and 97 pallets of air-dropped aid.
However, the United Nations and Palestinian officials maintain that current deliveries fall far short of the population’s needs.
