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The United Nations has said it is “impossible” for Palestinians to move to the south of Gaza in the next 24 hours, after citizens were ordered to evacuate by Israel’s military.

It came as the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency warned Gaza was becoming a “hell hole” and was on the “brink of collapse”.

The evacuation order is the strongest hint yet from Israel that it is preparing to launch a ground offensive on Gaza almost a week after Hamas’s surprise assault.

It also began dropping leaflets written in Arabic into the Gaza Strip urging people in the north of the area to move south across the Wadi Gaza – a piece of coastal wetland with a river running through the middle.

Leaflet
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A leaflet urging civilians in the north of Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south

UN officials in Gaza “were informed by their liaison officers in the Israeli military that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement in New York.

“This amounts to approximately 1.1 million people,” he added, or nearly half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population.

Mr Dujarric said the UN “considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences”.

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Warning leaflets drop in Gaza

It came after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said “this evacuation is for your own safety”, but in response, Hamas has called the warning “fake propaganda” and urged Palestinians “not to fall for it”.

The UN has appealed for the order to be rescinded to avoid turning “what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation”.

Israel ‘strikes Syrian airports’ – follow live conflict updates

A map showing the evacuation zone of northern Gaza down to the Wadi Gaza.
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A map showing the evacuation area of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, down to the Wadi Gaza

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‘This evacuation is for your own safety’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman on Friday that he “rejects the forced displacement” of Palestinians in Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

He said such an event would constitute a “second Nakba” – referring to the mass displacement of Palestinians in the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation – adding that humanitarian corridors must be allowed in the blockaded coastal enclave immediately to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) called for an “immediate intervention” from the international community to prevent a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

“We don’t have the means to evacuate the sick and the wounded people in our hospitals or the elderly and the disabled,” a spokesperson for the humanitarian group said.

Palestinians flee their houses heading toward the southern part of Gaza Strip after Israel's call for more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to move south within 24 hours, amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza City October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot
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Palestinians flee their homes heading toward the southern part of the Gaza Strip

Palestinians flee their houses heading toward the southern part of Gaza Strip after Israel's call for more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to move south within 24 hours, amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza City October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said local health authorities in Gaza had informed its officials it was impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients from northern Gaza within 24 hours.

“There are severely ill people whose injuries mean their only chances of survival is being on life support, such as mechanical ventilators,” said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.

“So moving those people is a death sentence. Asking health workers to do so is beyond cruel.”

In other key developments:
• It’s “highly likely” Britons are among Hamas’s hostages, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps says
• Hamas claimed Israel killed 13 hostages with its strikes on Gaza
• Humza Yousaf’s mother-in-law shared a tearful plea from Gaza
• UK navy to send ships and begin surveillance flights over Israel
Several UK Jewish schools close for safety reasons

Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border. Pic: AP
Image:
Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border. Pic: AP

IDF fires artillery shells into Gaza as fighting between Israeli troops Hamas continues
Pic:DPA/AP
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The Israel Defence Forces fire artillery shells into Gaza. File pic: DPA/AP

Sunak shows support as number of dead grows

Earlier, Rishi Sunak told Israel’s prime minister to “protect ordinary Palestinians” as it continues its fightback against Hamas.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said Mr Sunak “reiterated that the UK stands side by side with Israel in fighting terror” in his phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, adding Hamas should “never again be able to perpetrate atrocities against the Israeli people”.

Read more on this story:
Why Israel is braced for Hezbollah attack from Lebanon
How negotiators will be working to free Hamas hostages

Smoke billows following Israeli strikes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
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Smoke billows following Israeli strikes in Gaza

Israel said a total of 1,300 of its people have died since Saturday’s raids as its troops continue to mass along the barbed wire fence ahead of a possible ground offensive on Gaza, with 300,000 reservists called up.

The country is targeting Hamas after the militant group carried out a wave of attacks in Israel as gunmen stormed the border and killed hundreds in their homes – as well as 260 others at a music festival.

Meanwhile, at least 500 children and 276 women are among the estimated 1,537 Palestinians who have died with more than 6,000 wounded, the Gaza health ministry has said.

What would the north Gaza evacuation look like if it happened in the UK?

The evacuation of approximately 1.1 million people from the north of Gaza to the south is equivalent to moving the population of Birmingham to the nearby town of Dudley.

It is approximately 10.5 miles (17km) from the northernmost point of the evacuation area, the Erez Crossing from Israel into Gaza, to the bridge over the Wadi Gaza.

It would take an average person around four hours to walk – and that’s without interruption and on the assumption that the route is well-maintained.

But the evacuation of northern Gaza involves moving hundreds of thousands of people through the already compact and densely populated streets of Gaza City.

The area also contains 11 hospitals, three compounds run by the United Nations and two refugee camps. All of them will need to be evacuated within 24 hours.

And there is the additional logistical challenge of navigating streets lined with rubble and burnt-out cars after days of retaliatory air strikes by Israeli forces.

White phosphorous used, human rights group claims

On the ground in Gaza, it has been claimed white phosphorous has been used as a weapon, which can indiscriminately burn people, thermally and chemically.

Human Rights Watch said Israel used the chemical in Gaza and Lebanon, claiming it had verified footage from 10 and 11 October, respectively, showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border.

It said the weapon’s use “violates the international humanitarian law prohibition on putting civilians at unnecessary risk”.

Asked for comment on the allegations, Israel’s military said it was “currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorous in Gaza”.

Elsewhere on Friday, tens of thousands of people gathered in Tahrir Square in Iraq’s capital of Baghdad to show solidarity with Palestine.

Protesters also took to the streets of Iran – a key backer of Hamas – in support of the Palestinian people.

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad
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A huge crow gathered in Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday to show solidarity with Palestinians

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Jordan’s King Abdullah on Friday responded to Israel’s evacuation order, and warned its neighbour against any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians.

In a statement published by the Royal Court, he said there should be no “spillover” of the ongoing crisis into neighbouring countries.

Jordan, which borders Israel to the southeast, maintains peaceful – though often tense – relations with the Israeli government.

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Gaza food situation ‘worst it’s ever been’, charity says – as tank attack reportedly kills 12 at camp

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Gaza food situation 'worst it's ever been', charity says - as tank attack reportedly kills 12 at camp

An aid worker in Gaza has told Sky News the food situation in the enclave is “absolutely desperate” and “the worst it’s ever been”.

Her comments to chief presenter Mark Austin come amid fresh outcry over aid restrictions, with the UK joining 24 other countries to urge an immediate end to the war.

It also comes as at least 12 more Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded when tanks shelled a tent encampment in western Gaza City, according to health authorities.

Middle East latest: Key points from UK statement on Gaza

Medics, speaking early on Tuesday, said two shells were fired at tents housing displaced people from tanks positioned north of the Shati camp.

Israel hasn’t yet commented on the reports.

Rachael Cummings, humanitarian director for Save The Children, spoke to Sky News from Deir al Balah, a city where tens of thousands of people have sought refuge during repeated waves of mass displacement.

More on Gaza

She said: “One of my colleagues said to me yesterday, ‘We are all walking together towards death’. And this is the situation now for people in Gaza.

“There is no food for their children, it’s absolutely desperate here.”

Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, July 20, 2025. REUTERS
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Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen. Pic: Reuters

“The markets are empty,” she said. “People may even have cash in their pockets yet they cannot buy bread [or] vegetables.

“My team have said to me, ‘There’s nothing in my house to feed my children, my children are crying all day, every day.”

Israel launched a ground assault on southern and eastern Deir al Balah for the first time on Monday after having issued an evacuation order.

Local medics said at least three people were killed when houses and mosques were hit by tank shelling.

Sources told Reuters news agency that Israel believes some of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas in October 2023 could be in the area.

Smoke rises during Israeli strikes amid the Israeli military operation in Deir Al-Balah.
Pic: Reuters
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Smoke rises during strikes amid the Israeli operation in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters

Ms Cummings’s remarks came as the UK and 24 other nations issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire.

The statement criticised aid distribution in Gaza, which is being managed by a US and Israel-backed organisation, Gaza Health Foundation (GHF).

Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed while trying to get food in recent weeks, both from GHF and UN convoys.

“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the joint statement said.

The 25 countries also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of hostages captured by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Lammy promises £40m for Gaza

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has promised £40m for humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

He told MPs: “We are leading diplomatic efforts to show that there must be a viable pathway to a Palestinian state involving the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, in the security and governance of the area.

“Hamas can have no role in the governance of Gaza, nor use it as a launchpad for terrorism.”

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Lammy: ‘There must be a viable pathway to a Palestinian state’

Addressing the foreign secretaries’ joint written statement, charity worker Liz Allcock – who works for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in Gaza – told Sky News: “While we welcome this, there have been statements in the past 21 months and nothing has changed.

“In fact, things have only got worse. And every time we think it can’t get worse, it does.”

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“Without a reversal of the siege, the lack of supplies, the constant bombardment, the forced displacement, the killing, the militarisation of aid, we are going to collapse as a humanitarian response,” she said.

“And this would do a grave injustice to the 2.2 million people we’re trying to serve.

“An immediate and permanent ceasefire, and avenues for accountability in line with international law, is the minimum people here deserve.”

The war in Gaza started in response to Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw about 250 taken hostage.

More than 59,000 Palestinians have since been killed, with more than half being women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.

In recent weeks hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been killed while waiting for food and aid.

The Israeli military has blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians.

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Trade war: Is August escalation on – or will Trump chicken out?

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Trade war: Is  August escalation on - or will Trump chicken out?

Donald Trump is clearly seething over the term ‘TACO’ (Trump always chickens out) – a phrase that has characterised financial market trading over the past few months.

It suggests that for all the president’s bluster and threats during his on-off trade war to date, he rarely follows through.

When asked by a reporter about TACO in late May, as his “liberation day” escalation remained on pause, he declared it a “nasty” question and said he wanted negotiations.

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Mr Trump wants a deal but to effectively bully America’s trading partners into agreeing better terms.

It’s a playbook that has defined his time in the White House and, as things stand, more than 20 nations and territories, including Japan and South Korea, face heightened tariffs of up to 40% on their exports to the US from 1 August.

Financial markets don’t really believe it. Stock markets, for example, are still hovering near or at record levels in both the US and in Europe. The FTSE 100 closed above 9,000 points for the first time on Monday evening. TACO is ingrained in those values.

More on Donald Trump

But are markets in for a shock, especially when it comes to the fight with America’s single largest trading partner, the European Union? It was created, Mr Trump has previously claimed, to “screw” the United States.

It’s fair to say there was great optimism in the EU earlier this month that a deal, similar to that agreed between the US and UK, was looming to avert the worst of a threatened 30% baseline tariff from 1 August.

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Explained: The US-UK trade deal

But the mood music in Brussels changed at the back end of last week and now EU diplomats are even briefing that a broader range of retaliation measures is being considered beyond additional tariffs on US goods.

The seriousness of this fight should not be underestimated.

EU figures show trade in goods and services between the bloc and the US account for almost a third of all global trade, at a value in 2024 alone of €1.68trn (£1.45trn).

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Trump ‘reigniting global trade war’

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic has warned that a 30% tariff would “practically prohibit” the bloc’s transatlantic trade, according to remarks via diplomats reported by the Reuters news agency.

We’re told that, even if time runs out, a truce could theoretically be agreed soon after 1 August.

Much will depend on the EU’s response.

Does it go down the route taken by the UK and not retaliate, pending the conclusion of talks?

There is growing pressure on Brussels to call Mr Trump’s bluff.

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Trump tariff threats all ‘bluster’

The EU has a package of tariffs on €21bn of US goods ready to go from 6 August. An additional package is yet to be finalised.

France is demanding US services are hit too, with even Germany now saying such an escalation should be considered.

The so-called “anti-coercion” instrument, as it’s known, would also potentially allow the bloc to limit US companies’ access to financial service markets in the EU.

So what happens after 1 August could be even more explosive.

But there is every reason to believe that a tit-for-tat escalation is unlikely, at least for long.

The very reason Donald Trump rowed back on his “liberation day” tariffs in April, allowing 90 days for talks, was likely the dire financial market reaction that followed news of the widespread duties.

You have a president demanding interest rate cuts (at a time when inflation is on the rise due to the impact of tariffs) in a bid to boost flagging economic growth.

Mr Trump says his trade war is all about boosting US manufacturing jobs but, at the end of the day, no powerbase of voters is going to accept a threat to the value of their investments for long.

No big US company will stand by and see its sales suffer.

TACO? It’s a solid bet.

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Plane crashes into college campus in Bangladesh – at least 19 people dead

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Plane crashes into college campus in Bangladesh - at least 19 people dead

At least 19 people have died after a Bangladesh air force plane crashed into a college campus, the military said.

The aircraft crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in Uttara, in the northern area of the capital Dhaka, where students were taking tests or attending regular classes.

The pilot was one of the people killed, and, according to the military, 164 were injured in the incident.

The Bangladesh military’s public relations department added that the aircraft was an F-7 BGI, and had taken off at 1.06pm local time before crashing shortly after.

Video shows fire and smoke rising from the crash site, with hundreds looking on.

Pic: Reurters
The wreckage of an air force training aircraft after it crashed into Milestone College campus, in Dhaka.
Pic: Reuters
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Pics: Reuters

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Bengali-language daily newspaper Prothom Alo said that most of the injured were students with burn injuries.

Firefighters and volunteers work after an air force training aircraft crashed into Milestone College campus, in Dhaka.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pics: Reuters

Citing the duty officer at the fire service control room, Prothom Alo also reported that the plane had crashed on the roof of the college canteen.

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Rafiqa Taha, a 16-year-old student at the school who was not present at the time of the crash, told the Associated Press that the school has around 2,000 students.

“I was terrified watching videos on TV,” she added. “My God! It’s my school.”

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