Israel envoy Yechiel Leiter says ceasefire proposals ‘under discussion’ but reiterates Hamas must be destroyed; Italy’s Meloni says war has surpassed ‘principle of proportionality’
IDF troops continued to operate on the outskirts of Gaza City on Wednesday, as a military spokesman urged civilians in the area to evacuate ahead of a planned offensive deeper into the city, dismissing the notion that there was not enough room in the south of the Strip for the displaced.
The comments come as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears poised to move ahead with the decision approved by the cabinet earlier this month to conquer Gaza City, as Israeli officials continue to dismiss proposals for a partial hostage release deal, saying Jerusalem will only agree to a complete deal to free all hostages and disarm Hamas.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said in a TV interview on Wednesday that Israel was still examining “what the possibilities are” for a ceasefire deal with Hamas, but will not end the war in Gaza until Hamas surrenders or is destroyed.
His comments came after mediators Qatar and Egypt expressed frustration that Israel has yet to issue an official response to the latest phased hostage release proposal, which Hamas said last week that it had accepted.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, rejected on Wednesday what he called “false rumors” that there is no space available in southern Gaza for displaced residents, as IDF troops continued to advance on Gaza City.
In a video message posted on X, Adraee said the army has surveyed large open areas in southern Gaza, including in the central refugee camps and in Al-Mawasi, which he described as empty of tents and ready to receive evacuees.
Adraee said that the evacuation of residents from Gaza City was “inevitable,” and pledged that families moving south would receive increased humanitarian assistance. The statement said that preparations are underway for tent encampments, aid distribution centers and water infrastructure for those being displaced.
The IDF said Wednesday that Israel will add two humanitarian aid distribution centers in the southern Gaza Strip to receive the new influx of displaced Palestinians. It said in a statement that the work would be completed in the coming days, replacing the Center in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood and bringing the number of distribution centers to a total of five.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said earlier this week that roughly 5,000 people had been displaced from northern Gaza to Deir al-Balah in the central Strip and to Khan Younis in the south since August 20. Another 8,000 have been displaced to the west of Gaza City, bringing the total number of new displacements since the end of the March ceasefire to more than 800,000.
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