Gaza war is taking a heavy toll on civilians. Over 200 people have died from starvation and malnutrition, half of them children, adding to more than 61,250 fatalities since the war began. - Photo: WAFA
CAIRO – 17 August 2025: Hamas condemned Israel’s intentions to move forward with a plan for occupying Gaza City and displace scores of people stationed there, describing the move as “a major war crime.”
In a Telegram post, Hamas warned against the intention of Israeli army’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to approve the plans to occupy the densely-populated city and accelerate military operations there.
The movement said that such decision would constitute a “a new wave of brutal genocide and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents and those displaced to it.”
Hamas also emphasized that this approval would signal the commission of “a major war crime in Gaza City, reflecting the clearest image of Zionist arrogance and its disregard for international laws.”
The plans also reflect Israel’s continuation of “the genocidal war that has been ongoing for more than 22 months, under criminal American cover and amidst disgraceful international silence and impotence,” they added.
Hamas also slammed Israel’s announcement of allowing the provision of tents and shelter equipment for Gaza residents starting Sunday as “a blatant deception meant to cover up the heinous crime the occupation is preparing to carry out.”
The Israeli chief of staff emphasized during a visit to Gaza that the army will “soon move on to the next stage” of the war with “a focus on Gaza City.”
“We will continue to strike until Hamas is defeated, with our eyes on the hostages,” The Times of Israel quoted Zamir as saying.
“We will act with a sophisticated, measured, and responsible strategy,” he asserted, vowing to “employ all [the army’s] capabilities on land, in the air, and at sea in order to strike Hamas with force.”
Israeli forces announced on Saturday preparing to relocate civilians in Gaza toward the south ahead of a widely condemned plan to impose full Israeli security control over the entire enclave and take over Gaza City.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the relocation of Gazans aims to ensure the “safety” of civilians in Gaza by moving them away from “combat zones.”
Israeli forces have repeatedly launched airstrikes on areas they had previously designated as “safe,” including Al-Mawasi Camp as well as locations in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, killing scores of civilians.
The Israeli government earlier this month approved a plan to seize Gaza City, located in the north of the enclave and home to hundreds of thousands of civilians—many of whom have been displaced multiple times since the war began.
The five-point plan includes imposing Israeli “security control” over the entire Gaza Strip, disarming Hamas, returning all captives, ensuring Gaza’s full demilitarization, and establishing a new civil administration unaffiliated with either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli media reports indicate the operation will begin with a full takeover of Gaza City, while involving the forced relocation of up to one million residents to the south.
The decision has raised alarm over worsening humanitarian conditions, as Israel’s military campaign has already displaced the entire population and left the enclave on the brink of famine—with dozens of starvation-related deaths reported.
Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has killed nearly 62,000 people, including more than 1,900 humanitarian aid seekers, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
Additionally, 251 people—108 of them children—have reportedly died from starvation and malnutrition amid Israel’s heavy restrictions on aid, which amounted to a full blockade for almost three months this year.
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