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The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that its workers will remain in Gaza City despite calls from Israel's military for people to flee an assault it is mounting there. "To civilians in Gaza: WHO and partners remain in Gaza City," WHO said on its X account. WHO is appalled by the latest evacuation order, demanding that one million people move from Gaza City to a so-called "humanitarian zone" in the south designated by Israel. "The zone has neither the size nor scale of services to support those already there, let alone new arrivals," the UN agency said. "Crippled health system cannot afford to lose any of these remaining facilities," it added.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over Gaza, as she warned famine could not be used as a "weapon of war".Addressing the European Parliament, von der Leyen lamented that divisions among member states were holding back a European response and said the European Commission she leads "will do all that it can on its own"."What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic," von der Leyen said."For the sake of the children, for the sake of humanity -- this must stop."The German politician, 66, said the commission would put its bilateral support to Israel on hold, stopping all payments, but without affecting work with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.The measure is to affect future allocations amounting to about six million euros ($7 million) a year and the disbursement of about 14 million euros for ongoing institutional cooperation projects, the commission said.The European Union's executive will propose sanctions on "extremist ministers" -- whose actions and words "incite violence" -- and "violent settlers".And it will push for a partial suspension of an association agreement with Israel on trade-related matters.But such measures will need approval by the bloc's 27 member states, which have been deeply divided on how to respond to Israel's actions in Gaza."I am aware it will be difficult to find majorities," von der Leyen conceded."And I know that any action will be too much for some. Too little for others. But we must all take our own responsibilities".The United Nations declared famine last month in parts of Gaza, warning that 500,000 people face "catastrophic" conditions.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received a call on Tuesday from President of the US of America Donald Trump. During the call, the US president expressed his solidarity with Qatar and his strong condemnation of the attack on its sovereignty, noting that diplomatic resolutions could resolve outstanding issues in the region. The US President expressed his appreciation of the tireless mediation efforts made by His Highness the Amir and the State of Qatar, highlighting their active role in establishing peace in the region. He stressed that Qatar was a trusted strategic partner, calling on His Highness the Amir to continue Qatar's mediation efforts to end the war in the Gaza Strip. For his part, His Highness the Amir stressed that Qatar condemns and denounces, in the strongest terms, the reckless and criminal attack given it is a clear violation of the country's sovereignty and security, adding that it was a clear violation of international law's principles, and held the Israeli entity responsible for its repercussions, in light of the policy of aggression they adopt that threatens the region's stability and obstructs efforts to de-escalate and reach sustainable diplomatic solutions. His Highness the Amir called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities regarding these outrageous actions, and to hold those involved accountable, expressing hope that the US of America would support such a just approach. His Highness the Amir stressed in that regard that Qatar will take all the measures necessary to protect its security and sovereignty, and that it will continue its constructive approach of supporting brothers and friends, as well as just humanitarian causes to promote international peace and security.

The appalling suffering in Gaza must end, beginning with an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and ensuring the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid to those in need, stressed the new UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. In a statement on Tuesday, she noted that the United Kingdom, through the Peace Framework Initiative, is leading international efforts to create the conditions for peace and security, and to work towards a two-state solution. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the enclave has faced one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history. The blockade and severe shortages of food and medical supplies have caused widespread and profound suffering.

The Israeli occupation army ordered residents of Gaza City in the northern part of the Strip, to evacuate immediately and head south via Al-Rashid Street, announcing also plans to launch a large-scale offensive in the area, marking a dangerous escalation that further exacerbates humanitarian concerns. The announcement coincided with ongoing artillery shelling across various areas of the Gaza Strip. Early this morning, Israeli artillery targeted central Khan Yunis in the southern part of the Strip. Additionally, Israeli drones opened fire on Palestinian homes, while occupation forces continued to demolish residential blocks and homes in northern and central Gaza, leaving widespread destruction in the targeted neighborhoods. In a related development, several Palestinians were injured in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment near Al-Qouqa roundabout in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. Earlier, medical sources reported that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has risen to 64,455, the majority of whom are women and children. The number of wounded has reached 162,776, while many victims remain trapped under the rubble or in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told residents of Gaza City on Monday to evacuate, as the military ramped up its deadly assault on the Palestinian territory's largest urban centre. Israel has been intensifying its bombardment of the city in preparation for an operation to conquer it, despite repeated entreaties from Western nations and aid agencies to stop. Gaza's civil defence agency meanwhile said at least 39 people had been killed by Israel, including 25 in Gaza City, Monday. The premier's warning came hours after one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Jerusalem since the start of the war, in which two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a bus, killing six people, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. The two gunmen were killed by a security officer and an armed civilian, police said. Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, had told Hamas earlier Monday to lay down its arms or face annihilation. On Monday, Israeli forces targeted a fourth high-rise building - the Al-Ruya tower- in Gaza City in as many days. Israel has faced mounting international pressure to halt its campaign in Gaza, with United Nations rights chief Volker Turk saying he was "horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric... by senior Israeli officials". US news outlet Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a new proposal for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal to Hamas last week. Palestinian fighters killed four Israeli soldiers Monday after lobbing an explosive device into their tank, the Israeli military said. A Reuters report said Spain on Monday banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from calling at Spanish ports or entering its airspace due to Israel's military offensive in Gaza, measures the Israeli foreign minister denounced as antisemitic. Spain, which recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024 and has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, responded to Gideon Saar's comments by summoning its ambassador in Tel Aviv back for consultations. On top of the ban on ships and aircraft delivering weapons or military-grade jet fuel to Israel, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government said it would not allow anyone who has participated directly in "genocide" in Gaza to enter Spain. Israel has strongly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide, and it is fighting a case at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that accuses it of genocide.

Spain on Monday banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from calling at Spanish ports or entering its airspace due to Israel's military offensive in Gaza, measures the Israeli foreign minister denounced as antisemitic.Spain, which recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024 and has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, responded to Gideon Saar's comments by summoning its ambassador in Tel Aviv back for consultations.On top of the ban on ships and aircraft delivering weapons or military-grade jet fuel to Israel, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government said it would not allow anyone who has participated directly in "genocide" in Gaza to enter Spain.Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip in October, 2023, after fighters from Hamas attacked Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages.Spain's Foreign Ministry said that Sanchez's measures were in line with public sentiment in Spain and reflected Madrid's support for peace, human rights and international law.It said Spain was committed to fighting antisemitism, pointing to the granting of Spanish citizenship to 72,000 Sephardic Jews - descendants of those expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.

The UN rights chief accused Israeli officials on Monday of using overt "genocidal rhetoric" about Gaza and called for decisive international action to "end the carnage".In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council that was criticised by Israel, Volker Turk said the occupied Palestinian territory was already "a graveyard".He accused Israel of inflicting "indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction"."I am horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric and the disgraceful dehumanisation of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials."The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights did not provide examples, but his spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told AFP that "shocking and dehumanising language" has been used by a number of high-level officials, stressing that "this is not a case of one senior official mouthing off".A number of countries have sanctioned far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has urged "total extermination" in Gaza, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has called for opening the "gates of hell on Gaza (to) encourage Gazans to emigrate".Shamdasani also pointed to Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman's assertion in March that the "only solution for the Gaza Strip is to empty it of Gazans".And Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu said during a radio interview in July that "the government is racing to have Gaza erased".Turk stressed that nearly two years after the war erupted following Hamas's deadly attack on Israel, "the region is crying out for peace".The Israeli army bombed a Gaza City residential tower block on Sunday -- the third in as many days -- and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the military was "deepening" its assault on the Gaza Strip's key urban centre.The UN estimates nearly one million people remain in and around Gaza City, where it officially declared a famine last month."Further militarisation, occupation, annexation and oppression will only feed more violence, retribution and terror," Turk warned.He insisted Israel had "a legal obligation to take the steps ordered by the International Court of Justice to prevent acts of genocide, punish incitement to genocide and ensure enough aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza".The UN rights chief said the international community was "failing the people of Gaza."Where are the decisive steps to prevent genocide," he asked.

The Israeli occupation forces on Sunday carried out one of the most destructive assaults on Gaza City since the resumption of the war on March 18, flattening entire blocks and inflicting widespread devastation. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip, said more than 50 buildings were completely destroyed, while another 100 were partially damaged, including high-rise towers that housed thousands of residents. He described the day as "one of the most difficult since the war resumed." Basal accused the occupation of deliberately targeting buildings surrounded by displaced persons' tents and shelters, leading to the destruction of more than 200 tents. He called this a "systematic policy" aimed at intensifying forced displacement. Civil Defense teams received multiple distress calls from civilians trapped under the rubble in the Zarqa area of the Tuffah neighborhood, where an entire building was bombed while residents were inside. The renewed bombardment also struck the few remaining mosques in Gaza City. Basal warned that Israel's "inhumane and immoral policy" against civilians risked worsening the humanitarian catastrophe and urged the international community to take urgent action to halt the ongoing massacres. On Sunday evening, Israeli occupation forces demolished the six-story Al-Ruya Tower, one of Gaza City's most prominent residential buildings, leaving behind scenes of devastation.

There is a "narrow window" to prevent famine from spreading further in Gaza, a top UN official said Sunday, calling on Israel to allow unimpeded aid delivery in the territory, where it is fighting Palestinian resistance group Hamas.According to a global hunger monitor, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are already experiencing or at risk of famine in areas including Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre, where Israel has launched a new offensive against Hamas."There is a narrow window - until the end of September - to prevent famine from spreading to Deir al Balah (in central Gaza) and Khan Younis (southern Gaza). That window is now closing fast," said United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher.COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that deals with humanitarian issues, said Sunday that over the past week aid from more than 1,900 trucks, most supplying food, was distributed in Gaza.Israel last month launched an assault on the outskirts of Gaza City and its forces are now just a few kilometres from the city centre, where it issued warnings over the weekend to civilians to evacuate high rise buildings it says are being used by Hamas, before bombing them.Overnight, strikes killed 14 people across the city, local health officials said, including a strike on a school in southern Gaza City sheltering displaced Palestinians.At least 50 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip since early Sunday, as Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks continue to target various areas of the besieged enclave.Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said the group would not disarm but would release all hostages if Israel ended the war and withdrew all its forces from Gaza, reiterating Hamas' long-standing position.Israel's army said it bombed a Gaza City residential tower after issuing evacuation orders, just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the military was "deepening" its assault on the Gaza Strip's key urban centre.Israel has not publicly announced the start of a major offensive to seize the city, which Netanyahu's cabinet approved last month, but the military has intensified bombings and operations in the area for weeks, in a bid to step up pressure on Hamas.Hamas has denied using residential buildings for military purposes.The high-rise was the third such residential tower to be struck in as many days.The strike on Al-Roya Tower left one person dead, the Al-Quds hospital said in a statement."We are deepening the manoeuvre on the outskirts of Gaza City and within Gaza City itself," Netanyuahu said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting.On Friday and Saturday, the air force had levelled two other residential high-rises under the same claim that Hamas had used them as observation points.Netanyahu said that around 100,000 residents had already left Gaza City.Trump issues 'last warning' to HamasUS President Donald Trump Sunday issued what he called his "last warning" to Hamas, urging the Palestinian resistance group to accept a deal to release hostages from Gaza. "The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!"Israel's N12 News reported on Saturday that Trump has put forth a new ceasefire proposal to Hamas.Under the deal, Hamas would free all the remaining 48 hostages on the first day of the truce in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel and negotiate an end to the war during a ceasefire in the enclave, according to N12.

A gentle study of dysfunctional families by veteran American director Jim Jarmusch clinched top prize at the Venice Film Festival Saturday, while a harrowing docu-drama about the Gaza war took second. Jarmusch's *Father Mother Sister Brother starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits, drew mostly positive reviews for its humourous portrayal of awkwardness and guilt. The *Broken Flowers director, who wrote the script for three family get-togethers in upstate New York, Dublin and Paris, had called it "a kind of anti-action film". "Thank you for appreciating our quiet film," he said during his acceptance speech. In a move that might disappoint campaigners against the Gaza war, the Venice jury under American director Alexander Payne did not reward *The Voice of Hind Rajab with the Golden Lion. Instead, the film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli troops last year, which reduced many festival viewers to tears, was given the grand jury second prize. Director Kaouther Ben Hania produced a dramatised re-telling of Hind Rajab Hamada's ordeal after she was trapped in a car that came under fire while she and her relatives were fleeing Gaza City. It was the most talked about movie on the Venice Lido and tipped by many as the likely winner after a 23-minute standing ovation at its premiere on Wednesday. Hind Rajab's story "is not hers alone", Ben Hania said as she accepted her award. "It is tragically the story of an entire people enduring genocide, inflicted by a criminal Israeli regime that acts with impunity," she added. Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix as well as Oscar-winning directors Jonathan Glazer (*The Zone of Interest) and Mexico's Alfonso Cuaron (*Roma) joined the film as executive producers after editing had been completed. Jarmusch signalled his opposition to Israel's continued siege and bombardment of Gaza by wearing a badge saying "Enough" on the red carpet for the Venice awards ceremony. BEST ACTORS Elsewhere Saturday, China's Xin Zhilei won the best actress award for her role in *The Sun Rises on Us All directed by Cai Shangjun. The 39-year-old actress plays a woman trying to make amends with her former lover, who served time in prison for a crime she had committed. Italy's Toni Servillo won the best actor award after wowing audiences in Paolo Sorrentino's *La Grazia, playing a principled politician facing a moral dilemma. The veteran film and stage actor portrayed an Italian president at the end of his career wrestling with whether or not to sign a bill to legalise euthanasia. Big-budget productions such as Netflix's *Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro and *Jay Kelly by Noah Baumbach as well as Yorgos Lanthimos's *Bugonia with Emma Stone went home empty-handed. In the secondary *Orizzonti (*Horizons) section of the festival, Mexican truck driver drama *En el Camino by David Pablos scooped top prize. *Father Mother Sister Brother is the first Jarmusch film to compete at Venice. The American had previously opted to showcase his productions at rival festival Cannes. Film bible *Variety said his film had his "trademark wry humour but also new notes of mellow, generous wisdom". Screen called it a "tender family triptych". Critics were broadly positive about the line-up of films in Venice this year. The festival is an important launch platform for big-budget international productions and arthouse films. Several previous winners of the prestigious Golden Lion have gone on to Oscar glory, such as *Nomadland and *Joker. *The Smashing Machine by American director Benny Safdie, a touching film about late 1990s mixed martial-arts (MMA) pioneer Mark Kerr, picked up the third-place directing prize Saturday. *The Hollywood Reporter called the film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson a "compellingly gritty and offbeat biopic", while Johnson was even tipped by some for a best actor award. *Sotto le Nuvole (Below the Clouds), a sumptuous documentary about Naples by acclaimed Italian documentary maker Gianfranco Rosi, won a special jury prize. The Gaza conflict has been a major talking point throughout this year's festival and many prize winners mentioned the war while on stage on Saturday night. An open letter calling on festival organisers to denounce the Israeli government over its offensive in Gaza has been signed by around 2,000 cinema insiders, according to the organisers.

An Israeli strike flattened a high-rise in Gaza City Saturday — the second in as many days — after the military warned people to flee ahead of a planned offensive against the urban hub. Israel has been warning for weeks of a new assault on the territory's largest city, without issuing a timeline. It has stepped up air strikes and ground operations on the city's outskirts, sparking fears it could worsen already dire conditions. Saturday, Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets on western neighbourhoods calling on residents to evacuate, witnesses and an AFP journalist said. Nafez Anis, who has been living in a tent with his family in Gaza City, said he had read the leaflet, but was not planning on leaving. "Where should we go?" he told AFP. "We will wait, and when we see Israeli tanks approaching here, we will leave." Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 55 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire during the day, including 18 near an aid distribution centre in the north. Saturday, the military struck a Gaza City high-rise, saying Hamas was using it "to monitor" Israeli troops and adding that it had taken "measures to mitigate harm to civilians". Witnesses identified the building as the Sussi residential tower and said it was destroyed. Hamas condemned the attack and denied using residential or civilian buildings for military purposes. The Israeli military has said it will target structures being used by Hamas, particularly tall buildings. It also issued an evacuation order for another high-rise Saturday, warning of an imminent strike and telling people to leave for the south. A military spokesperson had earlier called on residents to leave for Al-Mawasi, on the Mediterranean coast to the south. Israel first declared Al-Mawasi a safe zone early in the war, but has carried out repeated strikes on it since then, saying they targeted Hamas. Gaza City residents said they believed it made little difference whether they stayed or fled. "Some say we should evacuate, others say we should stay," said Abdel Nasser Mushtaha, 48. "But everywhere in Gaza there are bombings and deaths" he added, pointing, in particular, to the strikes on Al-Mawasi. "It no longer makes any difference to us," said his daughter Samia Mushtaha, 20. "Wherever we go, death pursues us, whether by bombing or hunger." Israel has faced mounting domestic and international pressure to end the nearly two-year war. Thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday evening to call for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. In Tel Aviv, protesters unfurled a massive banner saying: "President Trump, save the hostages now!" Hamas agreed last month to a proposal for a temporary ceasefire and staggered hostage releases, but Israel has demanded the group release all the hostages at once, disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, among other conditions. The UN estimates nearly 1mn people remain in and around Gaza City, where it declared a famine last month. It has warned of a looming "disaster" if the assault proceeds. Israel's offensive has killed at least 64,368 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.