Israel announces it is preparing an "unprecedented" attack on Gaza.

BarcelonaIsrael has ordered the evacuation of the entire population of southern Gaza and announced an "unprecedented attack" just hours after having bombed a school in the north of the Strip, causing 36 deaths, 18 of whom were children"The Israel Defense Forces will launch an unprecedented attack to destroy terrorist capabilities in the area," army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on social media. The evacuation order affects the towns of Khan Yunis, Bani Suheila, Abasan, and Al Qarara, all in the southern Gaza Strip. Israel claims that three projectiles were fired this morning toward Israeli territory, which were intercepted and caused no damage.

Israel's latest threat to the population of Gaza comes just hours after the Israeli army attacked a school hosting refugees in the north with missiles, killing 36 people. The order was also made public as Hamas announced it had accepted a temporary ceasefire proposal presented by Donald Trump's envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff. According to Palestinian sources, the truce proposal includes the release of ten Israeli hostages—still held in Gaza—in exchange for a 70-day ceasefire, the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Reports about the alleged agreement were confusing, as Al Jazeera claimed that the deal accepted by Hamas was a 60-day truce and also included the release of five Palestinian prisoners each day for the two months. However, Israel has already made it clear that it does not accept the proposal.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that the country could soon announce progress in the negotiations. "Releasing the hostages is our top priority. I really hope we can announce something about it. If we can't today, we'll announce something tomorrow. We're not sure," he said in a video posted on social media. These words have raised many expectations, but a source from his office assured Channel 12 that Netanyahu was not specifically referring to an imminent announcement, but rather that Israel remains committed to the release of the hostages.

The families of the hostages have long feared that the intensification of the offensive in Gaza will end any chance of freeing them. After the early morning bombing of the Fahmi Al Jarjawi school in Gaza City, they gathered outside the Israeli army headquarters in Tel Aviv to demand an end to the military escalation due to the "danger" and the "serious implications" it could have on their relatives still held in the Strip. It is estimated that there are still 58 hostages in Gaza, about twenty of those living.

Criticism from Germany

The constant airstrikes are adding pressure to a population completely weakened by hunger due to Israel's two-and-a-half-month blockade of humanitarian aid. Israel announced the lifting of the blockade last Monday, but continued to hinder the unloading and distribution of food and medicine, which arrived in the Strip in dribs and drabs.

All of this has led to continued criticism of Israel from European governments. One of the most forceful this Monday was the German Chancellor, the conservative Friedrich Merz. "Honestly, I don't understand the purpose of what the Israeli army is doing now in Gaza. Inflicting this kind of suffering on the civilian population, as has increasingly happened in recent days, is something that can no longer be justified in the fight against Hamas terrorism," he said at an event in Berlin. Germany has historically been one of Israel's main partners, but Merz argued that "if the limits are crossed and international law is violated, the German chancellor must also speak out."

Another European leader who has spoken out has been Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: "We do not support what the Israeli government is doing, denying humanitarian aid access to Gaza. Not at all." He has announced that the Foreign Ministry will recall the Israeli ambassador to Stockholm in protest at the humanitarian situation.

Jake Wood has resigned from his post following the latest attack on a school. the executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a US-funded organization sponsored by Israel. Wood announced his resignation just the day before the foundation began distributing humanitarian aid on Monday, arguing that he could not operate without adhering to "the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence." The new foundation had received strong criticism from the UN and other humanitarian aid agencies, which were wary of its distribution of aid with the support and custody of the Israeli military. The groups said the new system would undermine the principle that aid should be supervised by a neutral party. But the foundation has already announced its intention to continue the food distribution plan despite the director's resignation.

Provocation at Al-Aqsa Mosque

And while the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza escalates, several radical Israeli settler groups have staged a new act of provocation by celebrating Jerusalem Day with an assault on the city's Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site. Some extremist politicians have again criticized the government's agreement to allow the entry of basic goods into the Palestinian enclave. Tens of thousands of people gathered, according to the newspaper Times of Israel. His followers responded with chants of "Death to the Arabs!", although he has since changed the chant to "Death to the terrorists!"