Hamas rejects relocation plan as protesters press for hostage deal

Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel’s plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a “new wave of genocide and displacement” for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.

The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel into southern Gaza was a “blatant deception”.

The Israeli military has said it is preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety”.

Hamas said in a statement that the deployment of tents under the guise of humanitarian purposes is a blatant deception intended to “cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute”.

Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre.

The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, which is home to about 2.2 million people.

Meanwhile, Israeli police blasted crowds with water cannons and made dozens of arrests as protesters demanding a hostage deal escalated their campaign with a one-day nationwide strike that blocked roads and closed businesses.

The “day of stoppage” was organised by two groups representing some of the families of hostages and bereaved families, weeks after militant groups released videos of emaciated hostages and Israel announced plans for a new offensive.

Protesters fear further fighting could endanger the hostages who were seized by Hamas on October 7, 2023 — the attack that triggered the war — and are believed to still be alive in captivity. Israel believes that some 20 are still alive, with Hamas holding the remains of about 30 others.

“We don’t win a war over the bodies of hostages,” protesters chanted. They gathered at dozens of points throughout Israel, including outside politicians’ homes, military headquarters and on major highways, where they were sprayed with water cannons as they blocked lanes and lit bonfires. In Tel Aviv, among the protesters was a woman carrying a photo of an emaciated child from Gaza.

“Military pressure doesn’t bring hostages back — it only kills them,” former hostage Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv’s hostage square. “The only way to bring them back is through a deal, all at once, without games.”