Overview

• The Israeli military says taking control of Gaza City and then clearing it could take several months due to entrenched Hamas infrastructure and urban combat.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reports nearly 400,000 residents have evacuated, yet hundreds of thousands remain as many cannot afford to leave and conditions in designated southern areas are dire.
• UN Secretary‑General António Guterres decries what he calls the systematic destruction of Gaza City, and about two dozen aid groups led by Save the Children urge urgent international action, citing starvation and extreme deprivation.
• Israeli officials estimate up to 3,000 Hamas fighters are operating in the city and accuse the group of using tunnels beneath civilian areas, while footage shows a slow, crowded exodus toward Al Mawasi.
• Authorities say 48 hostages remain in Gaza, about 20 believed alive, as families protest in Jerusalem and Netanyahu warns Hamas against harming captives.