At least 70 Palestinians were killed on Saturday as Israeli airstrikes continued pounding Gaza, defying U.S. President Donald Trump’s public call to “stop bombing” the besieged enclave.
The attacks came even after Hamas partially accepted Trump’s 20-point peace proposal aimed at ending the nearly year-long war.
The Israeli military has reiterated that the northern part of Gaza, including the devastated Gaza City, remains an active “combat zone.”
In a statement on X, the army urged residents north of Wadi Gaza to evacuate south via the coastal Rashid Street route, warning that any attempts to return could be “life-threatening.”
Southern Gaza, already overcrowded, now shelters hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians struggling to survive in makeshift camps and damaged shelters.
“We were waiting for this good news. We hope for more to come and to return to Gaza City,” said one displaced Palestinian in Nuseirat, central Gaza, speaking to Al Jazeera.
City reduced to rubble
Gaza City — once the enclave’s largest urban hub — has been left in ruins. Daily bombardments have flattened residential towers, schools, and hospitals, forcing tens of thousands to flee southward under continued aerial fire.
Since mid-August, when Israel launched a new assault on the city, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded over 400,000 displacements from north to south, mainly toward Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis.
The wave of evacuations intensified in early September when Israeli forces began demolishing high-rise buildings, followed by a mass evacuation order for all of Gaza City on September 9.
Hamas responds to US peace plan
Hamas announced on Friday that it had agreed to certain parts of Trump’s ceasefire framework, including the release of all captives, though it said other terms — such as Israel’s withdrawal and Hamas’s disarmament — required further talks.
The move drew cautious optimism from international leaders, who urged both parties to push forward with negotiations. Trump welcomed the development, calling it “a step toward ending the suffering.”
In response, the Israeli military said its chief of staff had ordered to “advance readiness” for the first phase of Trump’s plan, reportedly related to the captives’ release. While the exact military implications remain unclear, Israeli media suggested a shift toward more defensive operations.
Despite this, air raids persisted throughout Saturday morning, killing at least 20 people since dawn, according to Gaza’s hospital officials.a
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