The Latest: Israeli army orders evacuation of a Gaza City hospital as world leaders gather at the UN
Israeli forces presented no signs of relenting on their new ground offensive in Gaza City on Monday as world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and more countries prepared to join the surge of nations recognizing a Palestinian state Hundreds of thousands have remained in the city the territory s largest and already in ruins from nearly two years of war and struggling with famine The Israeli military ordered the evacuation on Monday of the Jordanian Hospital a key wellness clinic a Palestinian soundness official declared The latest Israeli operation which started last Tuesday further escalates a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach The Israeli military which says it wants to destroy Hamas military infrastructure hasn t given a timeline for the offensive but there were indications it could take months Multiple have been attempting to relocate from the city where million people once lived to the southern Gaza Strip following Israeli military calls for a full evacuation Here s the latest Israeli military orders evacuation of a key Gaza City hospital The Jordanian field hospital in the city s southwestern neighborhood of Tal al-Hawa received orders to evacuate on Monday morning according to a senior healthcare official The military has already ordered all Palestinians in Gaza City to head south to central and southern Gaza Strip It has recounted aid workers in private messages that all humanitarian sites except hospitals must evacuate The military didn t instantly respond to a request for comment Dr Muneer al-Boush director general of the Gaza Fitness Ministry reported The Associated Press that the hospital has at least patients as well as clinical staff and family members of the patients The order came as residents published that troops were approaching the facility with dozens of families trapped in their homes and shelters around the hospital A surge in recognitions Britain Canada and Australia formally recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday joining nearly countries that have already done so and France was expected to do the same at the General Assembly Portugal also joined the group announcing its recognition later Sunday from New York France and Saudi Arabia hope to use this year s gathering of world leaders and the increasingly horrific war in the Gaza Strip to inject new urgency into the quest for a two-state fix to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict But the efforts to push a two-state method face major obstacles beginning with vehement opposition from the United States and Israel The U S has blocked Palestinian administrators from even attending the General Assembly Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is opposed to Palestinian statehood has threatened to take unilateral action in response possibly including the annexation of parts of the West Bank Paris famed Eiffel Tower projects both Palestinian and Israeli flags The two flags and a dove with an olive branch have been projected onto a giant screen on the Eiffel Tower on Sunday evening ahead of France s recognition of a Palestinian State The city s mayor Anne Hidalgo explained on Bluesky social media that it was meant to show Paris endorsement for French President Emmanuel Macron s initiative to be formalized at a United Nations conference later on Monday Paris reaffirms its commitment to peace which more than ever requires a two-state cure and expressed its solidarity towards all Palestinian and Israeli civilian casualties Hidalgo wrote Italy s unions call for a -hour general strike in solidarity with people in Gaza The strike paired with demonstrations and sit-ins held across the country will affect community transportation trains schools and ports The protest was called for Monday by grassroots unions across Italy The unions have denounced the inertia of the Italian and EU governments in the face of the violence suffered by the people of Gaza Italy stops a shipment of explosives to Israel An Italian mayor says the port of Ravenna last Thursday blocked the transit of two containers carrying explosives to Israel following a letter by local administrators Ravenna mayor and center-left politician Alessandro Barattoni explained reporters that port government accepted a request from him and the regional governor The explosives which he did not elaborate on were en passage to the Israeli port of Haifa Barattoni also called for a clear position from the Italian leadership to avoid arms shipment to Israel through Italy Source
