Sunday, August 31st, live news on the Middle East conflict. UNRWA: We have 6,000 trucks of aid ready, but they're being blocked by Israel. Red Cross: Mass evacuation is impossible.

• This new conflict began after October 7, 2023, in response to Israel's attack by the Hamas terrorist group, which resulted in nearly 1,200 deaths (including about 800 civilians) and the kidnapping of over 200 people.
• Since then, the Israeli army, which decimated Hamas's leadership and structures in the Strip, has killed over 62,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly civilians. According to the Gaza authorities, nearly 19,000 children have been killed by the IDF since the beginning of the war.

8:00 PM | August 31

The Red Cross brings a 17-year-old from Gaza to Italy.

The Italian Red Cross, following a request from the Italian Embassy in Amman, has taken in a minor from Gaza since August 27. On the flight to Rome Fiumicino that brought seventeen-year-old Yassine, who has a leg wound, to Italy this afternoon, there are other people from the conflict-affected area. Three of them, along with the boy, were transferred from Rome to Bologna, with transport organized by the Italian Red Cross.

5:19 PM | August 31

IDF Chief of Staff: We will also target Hamas abroad.

No Hamas leader is safe, not even if they live abroad. This is according to Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Israeli army. In the Gaza Strip, yesterday we struck one of the Hamas leaders, Abu Obeida. This is not the end; most of the Hamas leadership is abroad, and we will reach them too, Zamir assured during a meeting at the army's northern command center, according to a statement released by the army.

4:46 PM | August 31

Tajani meets with Palestinian Foreign Minister tomorrow and visits children in Gaza.

Tomorrow, September 1st, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, will meet in Rome with the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Varsen Aghabekian. The Farnesina announced this, noting that the meeting comes just days after Italy signed a joint declaration with Saudi Arabia regarding its commitment to building a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Middle East. The current regional situation will be discussed with the Palestinian minister, reiterating Rome's opposition to any occupation of the Gaza Strip and annexation of the West Bank, factors that seriously threaten the Two Peoples, Two States solution. Minister Tajani will also reaffirm Italy's commitment to the Food for Gaza initiative. In this context, Italy has sent over 200 tons of food, medical, and basic relief supplies to the Gaza Strip, evacuating over 1,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, and providing assistance and treatment to over 180 minors. Ministers Tajani and Aghabekian will then visit, together with Minister of Universities and Research Anna Maria Bernini and the management of their respective hospitals, Palestinian minors hospitalized at the Policlinico Umberto I, the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, and the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital.

4:27 PM | August 31

The Washington Post: The US plan for a"Gaza Riviera" includes $5,000 and a year's worth of food for every Palestinian who leaves the Strip.

According to an exclusive report by the Washington Post, a post-war plan for Gaza circulating within the Trump administration has been developed, modeled on the US president's promise to seize control of the enclave, turning it into a US-run trusteeship for at least 10 years while it transforms into a glitzy tourist destination and a high-tech manufacturing and technology hub. The 38-page plan seen by the Washington Post calls for at least a temporary relocation of all of Gaza's more than 2 million residents, either through voluntary departures to another country or to designated, protected zones within the enclave during reconstruction. The trust would offer landowners a digital token in exchange for the right to redevelop their property, which could be used to finance a new life elsewhere or potentially redeemable for an apartment in one of the six to eight new AI-based smart cities being built in Gaza. Each Palestinian who chose to leave would receive a cash payment of $5,000 and subsidies to cover four years' rent elsewhere, as well as a year's worth of food. The plan estimates that each individual departure from Gaza would save the fund $23,000, compared to the cost of temporary housing and what are called life-support services in safe zones for those who remain.

4:17 PM | August 31

Netanyahu calls cabinet meeting for 5:30 p.m.

The Prime Minister's Office announced that this evening's cabinet meeting at 6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. in Italy), convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will be held at the Kirya, the Defense Ministry, in Tel Aviv, Israel's so-called Pentagon. This morning's cabinet meeting was held at a location that has not been disclosed for security reasons following Thursday's IDF attack in Sanaa, Yemen, in which the prime minister and other senior officials were killed.

4:03 PM | August 31

Houthis warn: We will intensify attacks against Israel

Yemen's Houthis have announced they will intensify attacks against Israel following the killing of their prime minister. In a speech broadcast on the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television station, Abdul Malik al-Houthi vowed to continue targeting Israel with missiles and drones and to intensify these attacks, adding that recent Israeli raids in rebel-held areas of Yemen had neither weakened the group nor discouraged its fighters.

4:02 PM | August 31

The Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona for Gaza

Twenty vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona for Gaza with approximately 300 activists aboard, including politicians and international figures such as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, Efe news agency reported. Around 5,000 people gathered at Moll de la Fusta in Barcelona to bid farewell to the flotilla, according to municipal police figures. The mission aims to lift Israel's siege of Gaza and create a humanitarian corridor to bring aid to the Strip.

3:49 PM | August 31

IDF: 2,200 aid trucks entered Gaza in the last week

The IDF reports that approximately 2,200 trucks carrying aid to Gaza have passed through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings over the past week. Over 1,500 trucks, primarily carrying food supplies, have entered through the crossings. The UAE water pipeline from Egypt has also been activated, supplying water to the southern Strip: 15 liters per person per day, benefiting over 600,000 residents. On August 27, 325 children in need of medical care and their companions, along with residents with dual citizenship, were able to leave Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing toward the Allenby Bridge. The IDF stated that it will continue to expand its efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza.

3:09 PM | August 31

Axios: Israel considers annexation as retaliation for Palestinian recognition

The Israeli government is seriously considering annexing parts of the West Bank in retaliation for the impending recognition of Palestine by several Western countries. The news outlet Axios reports this, citing Israeli, US, and European officials with direct knowledge of the matter. According to Axios, Israel's next move will depend on the stance of President Donald Trump, who twice blocked annexation attempts during his first term. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Axios that the administration has not yet taken a clear position:"I don't know how extensive the planned annexation will be. I'm not sure there's a common vision within the Israeli government about where it should occur and to what extent," he explained. Some Israeli officials believe the Trump administration will not oppose it, as it is irritated with countries seeking to recognize Palestine.

3:00 PM | August 31

Katz confirms: Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida killed, others to follow

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Hamas terrorist spokesman Abu Obeida had been eliminated in Gaza. Katz added:"Congratulations to the IDF and Shin Bet for the flawless execution. Soon, as the campaign against Gaza intensifies, he will encounter many more of his accomplices: Hamas murderers and rapists."

2:55 PM | August 31

Media reports say the death toll in Gaza in Israeli attacks since dawn has risen to 30.

The death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks that hit the Strip since dawn has risen to at least 30. Al-Jazeera reports, specifying that among the victims are at least 16 people who were awaiting humanitarian aid.

2:49 PM | August 31

WP alleges investigation into alleged US"reconstruction" plan

A Trump administration plan outlining the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the subject of an investigation published today by the Washington Post, calls for the relocation of all Palestinians and the creation of a US technology hub. According to the WP, Palestinian landowners will be offered"digital tokens" in exchange for development rights and $5,000 a year for four years to help with housing elsewhere, as well as food support. The tokens can be used to finance living outside the Gaza Strip or to buy an apartment in the Strip's new"AI-powered smart cities." The United States will maintain full control over the enclave for at least a decade, gradually transferring security duties to the local police, after a period of management by what the document defines as"private military companies." The document also hints at Saudi and Emirati involvement, citing infrastructure such as the ring highway, the MBS tram line, and the MBZ highway. According to the WP, the depopulated and rebuilt Gaza Strip would be designated as a hub for private industry, with companies mentioned in the document such as Tesla and Amazon Web Services. Called the"Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust" or GREAT Trust, the proposal was developed by some of the same Israelis who founded and launched the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which currently distributes food within the enclave. The financial planning was handled by a team then working for the Boston Consulting Group.

2:44 PM | August 31

Netanyahu confirms raid on Hamas spokesman: We don't know if he's dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the army conducted an airstrike yesterday against Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida, but admitted that Israel does not yet know whether the man was killed. During the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu stated that the Shin Bet and the IDF had targeted Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the evil and criminal organization. But, he added,"We don't yet know the final outcome; I hope he is no longer with us." I want to note that there is no one talking about this on the Hamas side." And, Netanyahu concluded, they will talk about it in the coming hours and days. Israeli security sources, quoted on condition of anonymity by Hebrew media, expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of the attack on the spokesman for Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu explained that the IDF has already begun implementing a recent government decision to defeat Hamas and bring back all our hostages. These objectives have long been the declared aims of the war in Gaza, but Netanyahu appears to be referring to the IDF's decision to proceed with the capture of Gaza City, the Times of Israel notes.

1:32 PM | August 31

Abu Obeida's house, targeted by the IDF, rented a few days ago

The apartment struck yesterday by Israeli fighter jets in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, aiming to kill Abu Obeida, had been rented for a few days by the family of the spokesman for Hamas's military wing. Sky News Arabia reported this, citing Palestinian sources in Gaza. Abu Obeida's wife and children were in the home at the time of the raid. Large quantities of banknotes flew during the bombing, the source told the broadcaster, adding that after the rockets were fired, members of the Al-Qassam Brigade sealed off the area around the targeted building, preventing anyone from approaching to retrieve the bodies. The attack, Sky News Arabia reports, occurred near a local bakery, where, according to Gaza sources, more than 10 people were killed. On Saturday, Abu Obeida threatened Israel, saying that if it decides to invade Gaza City, the hostages will suffer the consequences. According to the broadcaster, Abu Obeida is considered a key figure within Hamas, and if the IDF operation were successful, it would impact the terrorists' morale and damage their operations.

1:13 PM | August 31

Netanyahu: We decided to defeat Hamas, IDF is doing it

The cabinet (in recent weeks) has made a decision: to defeat Hamas and free all our hostages, with great effort. The IDF has already begun implementing it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this during this morning's cabinet meeting, according to his office."We have struck the spokesman for Hamas, the spokesman for this evil and murderous organization, Abu Obeida. We still don't know the final outcome. I hope he is no longer among us, but I note that there is no one on the Hamas side who can answer on this matter. The next few hours and days will clarify this," he said.

During the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu recalled that a Shin Bet and IDF operation brought back to Israel two hostages killed by Hamas: I am talking about Idan Shtivi and Ilan Weiss. They were two heroes. Both acted to try to rescue and save others. Shtivi was at the Nova festival. He could have escaped, but instead he turned back several times to help others, until he was shot in the back. Ilan Weiss left his home the morning of the horrific attack. He was part of the local defense team. He ran to the armory, tried to obtain a weapon, and that's where he was murdered. This operation demonstrates our commitment to bringing back all the hostages. I remind you that so far we have brought back 207 people, including 148 hostages alive. We will bring them all home, dead or alive, said Netanyahu, who also referred to the operation in Yemen. I have long promised the citizens of Israel that the Houthis will pay a very high price for their aggression against Israel. Last Thursday, I ordered the IDF to strike their government of terror in Yemen. The air force attacked a gathering of the terrorist regime's leaders in Sanaa. They were watching a live speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who in every speech promises to strike and destroy Israel. They even wrote it on their flag. That promise will not be fulfilled, but our promise to strike forcefully at that terrorist regime will, he declared. With a lethal blow, the IDF has eliminated most of the Houthi government and high-ranking military officials. And this is just the beginning of the campaign against the leaders in Sanaa; we will reach them all, he added.

12:55 PM | August 31

Gaza: 88 people killed in Israeli raids in the last 24 hours

Israeli strikes have killed 88 people in Gaza in the past 24 hours, including 30 while trying to receive humanitarian aid, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which is administered by Hamas. According to the ministry, 421 people in Gaza were injured.

12:51 PM | August 31

Netanyahu:"We have decided to defeat Hamas, the IDF is doing it."

The cabinet (in recent weeks) has made a decision: to defeat Hamas and free all our hostages, with great effort. The IDF has already begun implementing it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this during this morning's cabinet meeting, according to his office."We have targeted Hamas's spokesman, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for this evil and murderous organization. We still don't know the final outcome. I hope he is no longer with us, but I note that there is no one on Hamas's side who can answer this question. The coming hours and days will clarify this," he stated.

12:48 PM | August 31

From the UK, 3.4 million euros in vital aid for girls and mothers in Gaza.

The British government has announced it will allocate €3.47 million for vital aid for pregnant women, as well as menstrual hygiene kits for thousands of women and adolescent girls in Gaza. The British Foreign Office reported this, specifying that this funding will be provided through the United Nations World Health Organization (UNFPA). This contribution aims to help the 130 women who give birth every day amid the conflict in the enclave and to provide essential menstrual hygiene items to 150,000 women and adolescent girls, the Foreign Office explained in the statement. Minister David Lammy commented that, amid the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Strip, with famine in Gaza City, women and girls are bearing the brunt of the suffering. With continued attacks on health centers and most hospitals unusable, pregnant women are extremely anxious to give birth safely, the British foreign minister added, adding that Gaza's healthcare system has been devastated.

12:27 PM | August 31

Netanyahu mocks Obeida, but no spokesman to declare his death is available.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mocked Hamas during a cabinet meeting today, declaring that the Islamist organization's announcement of Abu Obeida's elimination was delayed because there is likely no one from Hamas who can act as its spokesperson. Yesterday afternoon, the IDF struck an apartment in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, aiming to eliminate Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida. There has yet to be an official announcement regarding the death of the notorious and longtime Hamas official, but this morning a Palestinian source told Arab media that Abu Obeida was killed along with his family in the Israeli raid.

11:31 AM | August 31

Greta: How can the world remain silent about Gaza?

The question today isn't why we're setting sail. The issue isn't about the mission we're about to embark on at all. The issue is about Palestine. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said this at the press conference of the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, departing Barcelona for Gaza, broadcast live on television. The issue is about how people are being deliberately deprived of the most basic means of subsistence, and how the world can remain silent. Israel, Thunberg said, is very clear about its genocidal intent. They want to erase the Palestinian nation, they want to take over the Gaza Strip. If that doesn't move people to action, if that doesn't move people to get off the couch and take action, to fill the streets, to organize, then I don't know what will, Greta added. This is a nonviolent mission that aims to open a corridor for humanitarian aid, said Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish-Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla's steering committee. We cannot ignore the fact that Palestinians are starving because there is a government that is intentionally starving those people.

11:21 AM | August 31

The death toll in Gaza in Israeli attacks since dawn has risen to 20.

The death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks that hit the Strip since dawn has risen to at least 20. Al-Jazeera reports, specifying that among the victims are at least 13 people who were awaiting humanitarian aid.

11:20 AM | August 31

Global Sumud Flotilla ready to depart in Barcelona

Before departing from Barcelona, the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla held a press conference to reiterate the mission's objectives and its nature. This is a nonviolent mission aimed at opening a corridor for humanitarian aid, said Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish-Palestinian activist and member of the flotilla's steering committee. We cannot ignore the fact that Palestinians are starving because there is a government that is intentionally starving them, he emphasized. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg also spoke at the Global Sumud Flotilla press conference, asking how can the world remain silent about Gaza?"The question today is not why we are setting sail. The issue is not at all about the mission we are about to undertake. The issue is about Palestine," the young activist stated."The story here is how people are deliberately deprived of the most basic means of survival, and the story here is how the world can remain silent. Israel is very clear about its genocidal intent," Greta denounced. They want to erase the Palestinian nation, they want to take control of the Gaza Strip. If that doesn't motivate people to act, if that doesn't motivate people to get off the couch and take action, to fill the streets, to organize, then I don't know what will, the Swedish activist continued.

After raids against Houthis and Hamas spokespersons, government meeting to be held in a secure location

The Israeli government's weekly cabinet meeting will be held at a secure alternative location for security reasons, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reports. The reasons behind the decision are linked to the Israel Defense Forces raids that assassinated several senior Houthi officials and, according to Al Arabiya sources, killed Hamas's military spokesman.

9:47 AM | August 31

Al Jazeera: 13 people killed in Gaza waiting for aid

Thirteen people were killed in an Israeli army attack in Gaza while waiting for humanitarian aid to arrive, Al Jazeera reported.

9:24 AM | August 31

Israeli forces hit Hezbollah infrastructure in the south.

The Israel Defense Forces struck a series of military facilities, including underground infrastructure, at a Hezbollah site where military activity had been detected in the Beaufort Ridge area of southern Lebanon. The IDF revealed this in a statement on Telegram.

8:30 AM | August 31

Aid flotilla with Greta Thunberg ready to set sail for Gaza

A flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists, including Sweden's Greta Thunberg, will depart from Barcelona today to attempt to lift the illegal siege of Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla announced the news, specifying that the ships will depart from the Spanish port city to open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. The organization did not specify how many ships will depart or the exact departure time, and the flotilla is expected to arrive in the war-torn coastal enclave in mid-September. This will be the largest solidarity mission in history, with more people and more boats than all previous attempts combined, Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila told reporters in Barcelona last week. Organizers say dozens of other vessels are expected to leave ports in Tunisia and other Mediterranean countries on September 4. Activists will also organize simultaneous demonstrations and other protests in 44 countries in solidarity with the Palestinian people, Thunberg, who is part of the flotilla's steering committee, wrote on Instagram. In addition to Thunberg, the flotilla includes activists from several countries, European lawmakers, and public figures such as former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau."We know this is a legal mission under international law," left-wing Portuguese MP Mariana Mortágua, who will join the mission, told reporters in Lisbon last week. Israel has already blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July.

8:08 AM | August 31

Hamas confirms, three months later, the death of its leader Sinwar

Hamas confirmed the death of its military commander in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar, after Israel announced his death in an airstrike in May. Hamas provided no details on Sinwar's death, but published a photo of him alongside other movement leaders, describing them as martyrs. Arab and Israeli media reported. Mohammed Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who helped plan the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and who was killed by Israel a year later. After his brother's death, he was promoted to the movement's highest ranks. Confirmation of his death would leave his close aide, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who currently oversees operations in northern Gaza, in charge of Hamas's armed wing throughout the Strip.

8:07 AM | August 31

Israel is aiming only for a comprehensive agreement on Gaza: no possibility of a temporary truce.

A temporary ceasefire agreement for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza is not on the agenda, as Israel is seeking only a comprehensive agreement, Culture Minister Miki Zohar stated this ahead of today's cabinet meeting. There is a clear decision from the State of Israel, and in my opinion it could be expressed more clearly in the coming days: only a comprehensive agreement, Zohar told Channel 12. There is no longer the possibility of a partial agreement. Israel has decided that a partial agreement is not on the agenda. The only thing on the agenda is an end to the war, along with, of course, the return of all hostages and the demilitarization of the Strip, the minister emphasized. Zohar's comments come two weeks after Hamas said it had accepted the outline of a 60-day ceasefire agreement that would have included the release of 10 surviving Israeli prisoners, out of the 48 hostages still held by the terror groups in Gaza, of whom at least 20, according to Israel, are still alive. The Israeli government has not responded to this ceasefire offer and has moved forward with its plans to capture Gaza City, with a massive operation underway. According to Israeli sources, this agreement is not expected to be considered at today's meeting.

8:07 AM | August 31

Hamas armed wing spokesman Obeida killed

A Palestinian source told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels this morning that the spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, known as Abu Obeida, was killed. The Palestinian source confirmed that Israel targeted a house where the Qassam Brigades spokesman was staying, and that the Israeli bombardment killed everyone inside. The source reported that Abu Obeida's family and Qassam Brigades leaders confirmed his death after examining his body. An Israeli spokesman announced yesterday that a prominent Hamas leader had been targeted in Gaza.

1:17 AM | August 31

Israel ready to cut aid in preparation for offensive

Israel is prepared to halt airstrikes on Gaza City and reduce the entry of aid trucks ahead of a major offensive, CNN reports, citing a source. Meanwhile, the Red Cross warned that Israeli plans for a mass evacuation were impossible. The Israeli army is preparing to completely conquer Gaza's largest city after nearly two years of war, despite growing internal opposition and warnings that the campaign will have disastrous and unbearable consequences for Palestinians in the besieged region. Eyewitnesses and Palestinian officials say that in recent days, the Israeli army has carried out heavy bombing and ground attacks on Gaza City, choking off vital services and leaving hundreds of thousands of people crammed into an ever-shrinking area.

1:15 AM | August 31

Media: At least 76 dead in Israeli raids in Gaza

At least 76 people were killed in Israeli raids in Gaza on Saturday, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. According to Al Jazeera, nineteen of them died while queuing for aid.

1:12 AM | August 31

UNRWA: We have 6,000 trucks of aid ready but blocked by Israel.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said its warehouses in Egypt and Jordan are full and ready to deliver approximately 6,000 trucks of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities' ban on UNRWA's humanitarian aid entering Gaza must be lifted, the agency wrote in a post on X, noting:"Our warehouses in Egypt and Jordan are full and ready to load approximately 6,000 trucks if Israel approves their entry."

0:42|August 31

IDF confirms: Houthi PM killed in our attack

The Israeli military confirmed that the prime minister of the Houthi-led government in Yemen was killed in a Houthi attack in Sana'a last Thursday, the Times of Israel reports. A news agency run by the Iranian-backed Houthis announced the death of the rebel prime minister, Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, earlier today. The IDF says several Houthi officers were also killed in the attacks, along with other high-level members of the group's political leadership. The attack was made possible by seizing an intelligence opportunity and completing a rapid operational cycle, the IDF adds.

0:36|August 31

Netanyahu: Idan Shtivi's body recovered in Gaza

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and the Shin Bet have recovered the body of Idan Shtivi during an operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, according to the Times of Israel.

On Friday, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) announced that it had recovered the bodies of slain hostage Ilan Weiss and a second hostage, who has not yet been identified. Shtivi, now confirmed as the second slain hostage whose body was recovered in the operation, was killed at the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in southern Israel. Shtivi, 28, was a nature lover and photography enthusiast who studied sustainability and governance at Reichman University in Herzliya. His body was identified at the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine.

0:35|August 31

Red Cross: Mass evacuation of Gaza is impossible

A mass evacuation of Gaza City is impossible to carry out safely and with dignity under the current conditions, said Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in an official statement. For Spoljaric, the Israeli evacuation plan is not only unfeasible, but also incomprehensible.

0:26|August 31

Attacks intensify in Gaza City, leaving one million people in disarray.

The Israeli army has intensified attacks on several areas of the Gaza Strip, particularly Gaza City, killing several people and wounding dozens, including women and children, according to Arab media outlets including Wafa and Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, nearly one million Palestinians have been ordered to move south. Roads and homes have been damaged, and displaced people are marching through the rubble. Air strikes are targeting densely populated neighborhoods, which have been subjected to continuous Israeli bombardment throughout the day. Last night, heavy smoke bombs were dropped on western Gaza City, causing residents to become ill, Wafa reports. Fighter jets also launched several raids in the Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City, coinciding with the launch of drones in the Third Street area of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, northwest of the city. Occupation forces have also surrounded the Zeitoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Israel then continued shelling residential buildings in Jabalia al-Nazla, northern Gaza Strip, using booby-trapped robots to destroy civilian homes, Arab media reported. Israeli forces fired machine guns toward eastern Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, while Israeli fighter jets bombed a house in the al-Karama area, northwest of Gaza City, killing a woman and her child and wounding others. Shelling also occurred in the Al Nuseirat and Khan Younis refugee camps, as well as in the Mawasi area of Rafah, where displaced people are believed to be headed. Al-Awda Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving eight Palestinians killed, including three children, and 40 wounded, including nine women, in the past 24 hours following an attack by Israeli forces on a humanitarian aid distribution point in the central Gaza Strip.

0:21|August 31

Houthis: IDF attack kills prime minister and other ministers

In an official statement, the presidency of the Houthis, the Iranian-backed group that controls most of Yemen, confirmed that Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several other ministers were killed in last Thursday's IDF attack. In the operation in Sanaa, Chief of Staff Muhammad Abdel-Karim al-Ghammari was missing under the rubble; the Israeli military estimates he was also killed.

0:12|August 30

Media: Evacuation from Gaza City slow, only 10,000 evacuated

According to Israeli security estimates, approximately 10,000 Gazans have fled the city so far, out of a total population of 800,000 to 1 million. Preparations for the conquest of the Strip are not progressing at the expected pace, and the evacuation of the population is taking longer, media reports report. An Israeli official spoke anonymously to the Associated Press, explaining that Israel will halt aid airdrops on Gaza City in the coming days and will reduce the arrival of trucks in the northern part of the Strip. A senior security source in Jerusalem explained that aid will not be halted in Gaza City. It is currently unclear when the reduction in aid will begin in some areas of the northern Strip and when the airdrops will cease completely. The IDF has not yet responded to a request for comment on the airdrops or how it has provided aid to the Palestinians as Israel intensifies its offensive. Yesterday, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee urged Palestinians to flee south, calling the evacuation inevitable after Israel declared Gaza City a combat zone, calling it a Hamas stronghold and stating that a network of tunnels remains in use despite numerous raids in the area during the nearly 23-month war. The political-security cabinet will meet tomorrow evening to discuss military plans in the Strip.