Israel Plans Civilian Relocation in Gaza Amid Military Offensive; Hostage Families Call for Nationwide Strike

Israel is preparing to relocate residents from combat zones in northern Gaza to the southern part of the enclave in anticipation of a new military offensive targeting densely populated areas, including Gaza City and central camps like Nuseirat and Bureij. The Israeli military agency COGAT announced that the supply of tents and other shelter equipment to the territory would resume on Sunday ahead of the mass movement of Palestinians to the south. The military has not specified when the relocation will begin.

Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that the strategy aims to defeat Hamas.

Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages have called for a nationwide strike on Sunday to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to secure a prisoner swap deal with Palestinian factions. The families condemned the Israeli government for “ignoring the suffering of captives and their relatives.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid expressed support for the planned strike, calling the economic shutdown “justified and necessary,” and promising ongoing backing for families’ actions.

The announcement follows mounting criticism from opposition parties and families over Netanyahu’s plans to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip, which the hostage families and the military fear would endanger the captives’ lives.

In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed a baby girl and her parents on Saturday in the crowded Muwasi area, designated as a safe zone.

The United Nations warns that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began. Palestinians are drinking contaminated water as diseases spread, while some Israeli leaders continue to talk openly about the mass relocation of people from Gaza.

The Hamas-led attack in 2023 killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed 61,897 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.