'Gaza is burning': Israel vows no retreat as full evacuation of Gaza ordered

state of israel's Defence government minister Israel Katz stated tues that “Gaza is burning at the stake,” vowing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would strike “with an iron fist” until Hamas is defeated and the remaining hostages are freed.

“We will not relent and we will not go back — until the completion of the mission,” Katz wrote on X, as the military issued its first order for all residents of Gaza City to evacuate.

The unprecedented evacuation warning came as Israel pressed ahead with plans for a major offensive to capture what it describes as Hamas’ last stronghold. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain in Gaza City, many already weakened by famine-like conditions and repeated displacements.

Associated Press reporters saw heavier-than-usual traffic leaving the city, with families crammed onto cars, trucks and donkey carts, their belongings piled high. Yet aid groups warned that most civilians cannot afford to flee. The UN said it costs more than $1,000 for a family to move south, while shelters there are already overcrowded and short of food and medicine.

Israel said its forces demolished 50 high-rise buildings in Gaza City over the past two days, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the demolitions marked “only the beginning” of a larger ground assault.

Civil defence officials in Gaza said survivors were pulled from the rubble on Tuesday, while bodies were also recovered. They warned that more people may still be trapped.

Inside Gaza, medical staff and residents protested against evacuation orders, saying hospitals would remain open. “We will never leave our land … health care workers won’t leave and we are calling for protection,” said Dr. Muneer al-Boursh of Gaza’s Health Ministry.

In Jerusalem, families of hostages pleaded with Israeli lawmakers to reconsider. “If I was released through a deal, then apparently that’s the right way to free the rest,” said Iair Horn, a former captive whose brother is still being held in Gaza.

The war, triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and led to the abduction of 251 hostages, has devastated Gaza. More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and 90 percent of the population displaced.

Violence has also escalated in the West Bank. Two 14-year-old Palestinian boys were shot dead Monday in Jenin, while six people were killed in Jerusalem after two gunmen opened fire at a bus stop. Israel responded by revoking hundreds of work permits and imposing sanctions on the attackers’ families.

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