Israeli tanks close in on Gaza City, Trump to chair meeting

Ahead of an anticipated war summit headed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Israeli tanks drove into a new neighborhood on the outskirts of Gaza City overnight, demolishing homes and forcing families to evacuate, according to witnesses.
Late on Tuesday, tanks pounded homes in the Ebad-Alrahman neighborhood on Gaza metropolis’s northern outskirts, hurting a number of individuals and causing many more who were caught off guard to relocate farther into the main metropolis in Gaza, according to locals.

“All of a sudden, we heard that the tanks pushed into Ebad-Alrahman, the sounds of explosions became louder, and louder, and we saw people escaping towards our area,” said Saad Abed, 60, a former construction worker.

“If no truce is reached, we will see the tanks outside our homes,” he told  via a chat app from his house in Jala Street in Gaza City, around one kilometre (0.6 mile) from the Ebad-Alrahman neighbourhood.

Israel has said that it is getting ready to start a fresh onslaught in Gaza City, which it refers to as the final stronghold of Hamas. Israel has stated that the two million people who currently reside in the enclave will be ordered to leave.

Thousands have already left, but church leaders in the city said on Wednesday they were staying put, as leaving Gaza City and “trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence”.

“For this reason, the clergy and nuns have decided to remain and continue to care for all those who will be in the compounds,” a joint statement by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee said “evacuating Gaza City is inevitable” and Israel had begun facilitating the entry of tents into the enclave.

“Before transitioning to the next phase in the war, I wish to confirm that there are vast empty areas in the southern Strip, just as is the case in the central camps and in Al-Mawasi. These areas are free of tents,” he said, addressing residents’ concerns over lack of space in central and southern areas.

About 1.5 million more tents are needed in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian and UN officials.
On Tuesday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff stated that Washington expected Israel’s battle in the Palestinian territory to be resolved before the end of the year and that Trump will chair a meeting on Gaza at the White House on Wednesday.
Separately, the U.S. State Department announced that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet in Washington. Who would attend the Trump meeting remained unknown.