JERUSALEM/GENEVA/BEIRUT/MADRID - The Israeli military on Tuesday ordered all residents of Gaza City to evacuate ahead of an expanded assault, warning that those who remain face grave danger.
"The army will act with great force in the area," military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on X, urging nearly 1 million residents -- many of whom have already been displaced multiple times -- to move south to Al-Mawasi, designated by Israel as a "humanitarian zone".
"Staying in the city is extremely dangerous," Adraee said.
The announcement came a day after Hamas said it was ready to open negotiations following a new Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by US President Donald Trump.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had destroyed dozens of multi-storey buildings in recent days, accusing Hamas of installing surveillance cameras inside them to monitor Israeli troops.
Gaza health authorities said Israeli strikes over the past day killed 67 people and wounded 320.
4 Israeli soldiers killed
Four Israeli soldiers were killed on Monday in Gaza City after their tank was hit by an explosive device planted by Hamas militants, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Three of the dead were Armored Corps soldiers, while the fourth soldier's identity has not been cleared for publication, the military said.
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According to an initial investigation by the Israeli army, three Hamas militants approached a tank stationed on the outskirts of Sheikh Radwan, a neighborhood in northwestern Gaza City, at dawn, opened fire on the tank, and threw an explosive device into one of its hatches, setting the vehicle on fire and killing all four soldiers inside.
Israeli troops later identified the three militants, opened fire at them, and hit one of them, the military said, adding that an Israeli soldier was moderately injured during the incident.
The total death toll of Israeli soldiers since October 2023 has risen to 903, according to Israeli figures.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israeli forces have destroyed 50 multi-story buildings in Gaza over the past two days.
"All of this is just an introduction, just a prelude, to the main, intensified operation -- a ground maneuver by our forces, which are now organizing and gathering, moving into Gaza City," Netanyahu said, warning local residents to evacuate.
Netanyahu's remarks came as Israeli forces intensified airstrikes on Gaza City on Monday, including the demolition of the "Vision" tower, a 14-story office building, in the western part of the city.
On Monday, the Ministerial Committee formed by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza issued a joint statement condemning the Israeli polices of uprooting the Palestinians from their land, either by expanding the military operations in Gaza or by using siege and starvation as methods of war.
"Israel's illegal practices and violations are a direct threat to international law and international order," said the committee that includes the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine, along with the heads of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Calling Netanyahu's government having "completely gone off the rails," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his address to the nation after a cabinet meeting that the Turkish people "stand with the oppressed people of Gaza with all the means at our disposal".
In a phone call between Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Monday, the two sides discussed Israel's ongoing killing of Palestinians in Gaza and its "expansionism" through forced relocation of Gazans, and urged immediate global actions to stop the Israeli "genocide" in Gaza and punish the "criminals," according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza, launched after a deadly Hamas-led attack in October 2023, has devastated the enclave of 2.2 million people, causing famine and killing at least 64,522 people, according to Gaza-based health authorities.
READ MORE: Gaza City residents refuse to leave as Israel sets up new 'humanitarian zone'
Israel’s 'genocidal rhetoric'
United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Monday condemned senior Israeli officials for openly making genocidal rhetoric against Palestinians.
"I am horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric, and the disgraceful dehumanization of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials," Turk said as he addressed the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
He denounced Israel for the mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the obstruction of vital humanitarian aid that has led to famine, and the ongoing commission of war crimes that have caused "indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction."
Turk urged relevant countries to "stop the flow to Israel of arms that risk violating the laws of war," press for a ceasefire, secure the release of hostages and detainees, and ensure the sufficient entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
He also called for action to oppose Israel's planned military takeover of Gaza and acceleration of annexation of the occupied West Bank, while voicing support for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.
Against Israel strikes
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday urged Arab countries to adopt a unified stance in response to Israel's escalating attacks on Lebanon.
Speaking in a meeting with a delegation from the Arab Parliament, which included representatives from Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, Aoun said "Arab states must be one body" on regional issues, according to a statement released by Lebanon's Presidency.
He accused Israel of violating the November ceasefire agreement, saying Israel's repeated attacks targeted "Lebanese villages, towns, and their peaceful inhabitants."
Arab Parliament Speaker and head of the delegation Mohammed Ahmed Al-Yamahi voiced the body's full support for Lebanon's security, unity, and sovereignty, underlined the body's rejection of foreign interference in Lebanon's internal affairs, and affirmed that Lebanon's security is an integral part of Arab collective security.
Meanwhile, representatives of the delegation voiced strong backing for Lebanon's efforts to resist Israeli violations and for Aoun's reform agenda, which they said is vital to strengthening the Lebanese state and reinforcing unity.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli warplanes launched seven strikes on the outskirts of Hermel and one on the outskirts of Labweh on eastern Lebanon, killing five Hezbollah members and injuring five others.
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A ceasefire brokered by the United States and France between Hezbollah and Israel has been in place since Nov 27, 2024. However, Israel has occasionally launched strikes in Lebanon, citing security threats, while keeping forces at five positions along the Lebanese border after missing the Feb 18 deadline for a full withdrawal.
Separately, Lebanon's cabinet on Friday approved an army plan to disarm Hezbollah and place all weapons under state control. Five Hezbollah and Amal ministers walked out in protest, and Hezbollah supporters called for mass demonstrations.
Spain unveils Israel measures
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced a series of measures against Israel in a televised address from his official residence at the Palacio de la Moncloa.
Sanchez outlined nine steps his government will take, confirming that on Tuesday the cabinet will approve a decree enforcing an arms embargo on Israel.
In addition to the embargo, Spain will close its airspace and ports to aircraft transporting weapons to Israel or ships carrying fuel for the Israeli armed forces. It will also ban products originating from illegal Israeli settlements and increase funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), among other measures.
READ MORE: Israel says controlling 40% of Gaza City, vows to expand offensive
While acknowledging that the steps "will not be enough," Sanchez said they are intended to increase pressure on Israel and "alleviate some of the suffering of the Palestinian people".
Gaza sanctions row
Israel on Monday accused the Spanish government of being "anti-Semitic" and barred two Spanish ministers from entering the country after Madrid announced earlier in the day nine sanctions to pressure Israel to halt its nearly two-year offensive in Gaza.
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar told a news conference in Budapest that "the land of Israel" does not need Spain's protection.
Sa'ar said that Spanish Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda Diaz and Youth and Children Minister Sira Rego will be barred from entering Israel, and that Israel will end all official contacts with the two ministers.
