The Israeli Defense Forces said it has plans to relocate residents from combat zones in order "to ensure their safety."

On Sunday, relatives and friends of hostages taken by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, on October 7, 2023, called a nationwide strike. Around 25 hostages are believed be alive in Gaza. The protests took place across Israel, some outside of politician's homes, military bases, and highways.

Israelis took to the streets on Sunday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand operations in the Gaza Strip rather than attempt to negotiate an end to the war under which Hamas would free its last hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the expansion of Israeli plans to temporarily take over Gaza beyond just Gaza City on Monday.

The Prime Minister’s Office clarifies that Israel will agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go," the statement read. Amid renewed reports of Hamas flexibility on a phased ceasefire-hostage agreement,

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost the plot” and that Israel’s planned occupation of Gaza City is “utterly unacceptable.

Israel's security cabinet has approved plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Israeli military to occupy Gaza City, in an expansion of military operations that comes amid international condemnation of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

For Netanyahu, the calculation is now straightforward: win the war quickly, and the rest will sort itself out. In March 2024, with the US presidential race heating up and just five months after the October 7 massacre,