Overview

• The Israeli military says more than 640,000 people have evacuated Gaza City, while Gaza authorities claim over 900,000 remain and some who left have returned due to dire conditions in the south.
• Palestinian Civil Defense and local medics report at least 22 killed in a strike near Gaza City’s Firas Market and about 50 fatalities across the Strip, as Israel says it targeted two Hamas militants and disputes the reported toll.
• Multiple IDF divisions, including the 36th, 98th and 162nd, are operating in Gaza City under Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, which Israeli officials say seeks Hamas’s defeat and conditions for hostage releases.
• Aid groups report that intensified fighting and closures, including the halt at the Zikim crossing, have disrupted food deliveries even as shipments increased on paper, after UN-backed experts declared famine in parts of Gaza.
• Residents describe being unable or unwilling to evacuate because of injuries, high transport costs, scarce shelter and fear of permanent displacement, with tanks and strikes reported near residential areas and hospitals.