Israel's plan to forcibly evict one million people from Gaza city, half of Palestinian territory's population, is "impossible" to carry out in a safe and dignified manner, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said.
"Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement on Saturday.
Israel's military has ordered residents to leave the city ahead of what the government has billed as a decisive battle to defeat Hamas and recover hostages held by the militant group.
But Ms Spoljaric said the order "would be imposed on civilians who are already traumatised by months of fighting and terrified by what could come next. Many are unable to comply with evacuation orders because they are starving, sick, injured or suffering from physical disabilities".
She pointed out that, under international humanitarian law, Israel "must do everything to ensure that civilians have satisfactory conditions of shelter, hygiene, health, safety and nutrition, and that families are not separated", after ordering them to move.
"These conditions cannot currently be met in Gaza. This makes any evacuation not only unfeasible but incomprehensible under the present circumstances," she said.
Israel has intensified attacks across Gaza city as its troops prepare to enter. The military on Friday declared the city a “dangerous combat zone” and said its daily pauses in fighting to allow the delivery of aid would be suspended.
Israel introduced the daily halt in fighting from 10am to 8pm earlier this month amid mounting international concern over rising hunger caused by Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid.
The decision to stop the daily pauses comes a week after the UN declared a famine in Gaza city.
Gaza's health ministry on Friday reported 79 people killed in Israeli attacks over the previous 24 hours, most of them in Gaza city, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The ministry reported 62 more deaths on Saturday, including four people killed in previous attacks whose bodies had just been recovered, raising the Palestinian death toll to 63,371 since the war began in October 2023. The number of injured rose to 159,835, it said.
It also reported 10 more deaths from hunger, raising the number of such deaths since the war began to 332, including 124 children.
Israel has restricted aid deliveries throughout the war, including a nearly two-month total blockade imposed in early March. Israel justified the move by accusing Hamas of stealing supplies, without providing proof.
The war began with an attack on southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza on October 7, 2023. The militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostage. There are 48 hostages still in captivity, of whom only 20 are alive, according to the Israeli military.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
