World

Teenager describes forced separation from family as Israel evacuates 90% of North Gaza

Published

4 months ago

November 6, 2024

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“We sat in the yard from 8am to 5pm under the sun with no water or food.”

Sixteen-year-old Mohammed* was separated from his mother by Israeli forces as his family tried to flee northern Gaza.

Mohammed’s mother was taken to a “sandy pit” with other women and children and sat in the heat for hours before the group were released and told to move south. She took this video as she waited.

Mohammed and his mother are among tens of thousands of Palestinians who have been forced to flee northern Gaza in the past few weeks, as Israel’s military assault against Hamas has intensified.

Using geolocated videos, an interview with a teenage boy held in a school by Israeli forces and evacuation orders issued by the military, Sky News has investigated the conditions that some civilians have faced while leaving.

Our analysis of the evacuation orders reveals that over the course of five days in mid-October, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of 90% of the North Gaza governorate – an area half the size of Manchester. The UN says within two weeks in October alone, 60,000 people were displaced from North Gaza.

It comes as experts told Sky News Israel has a responsibility as the occupying power to look after civilians, “especially those civilians it may move for military reasons”.

In response to our report, the IDF said it makes “every effort to prevent harm to uninvolved civilians” and takes “additional measures” alongside evacuation maps to move civilians to safer areas.

It said: “Extensive efforts are being made to identify each individual examined and to detain only those who are terror operatives or suspected of being involved in terrorist activities”. It added that those who are not involved are released “as soon as possible” and IDF protocols are to “treat detainees with dignity”.

Videos show mass evacuations

Northern Gaza has become the focus of Israel’s military efforts in the strip. It says it aims to destroy Hamas who they say are regrouping in the north.

Sky News geolocated 17 videos and images taken by civilians, soldiers and shared by the IDF showing mass evacuations and detentions in northern Gaza posted online in the past three weeks.

The footage below shows hundreds of civilians fleeing on foot. Taken from an Israeli armoured vehicle, women and children are seeing carrying their belongings. It offers a glimpse into the scale of the evacuations taking place in the north.

We mapped the locations of these videos to an area just north of the Indonesian Hospital. The IDF has also published multiple videos online in the past two weeks showing its efforts to help civilians leave.

But other footage, geolocated to a similar area, captures a different part of the IDFs operation.

One video, posted online on 23 October, shows at least 23 Palestinian men barefoot, blindfolded, dressed in white suits and led away by Israeli soldiers.

The IDF had said in the days previously, that its forces had been operating against “terrorists” in the area. But the exact circumstances of this video are unclear.

Defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke says that while it’s not “unreasonable” to separate people for interrogation in a counter-terrorist operation, there are conditions.

He said: “They have to be interrogated properly. They can’t be held indefinitely. They have to have some form of representation and evidence has to be produced. Simply taking all the men away and locking them up is strictly against the laws of war and the Geneva Convention.”

In response, the IDF said recently its forces have been operating in Jabalia in northern Gaza against “terrorist infrastructure” and Hamas militants and has detained and questioned “individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities”.

It added that “relevant suspects are transferred for continued detention and investigation in Israel” and those who are not involved are released, adding that individuals detained are treated “in accordance with international law”.

Teenager separated from family

Mohammed is among Palestinians who have been separated from their family during evacuation. With his parents, the family started their journey out of northern Gaza on 22 October after an Israeli evacuation order for Beit Lahia was issued that morning.

Mohammed said they walked from a house they were staying at near the Kamal Adwan Hospital and headed towards the Indonesian Hospital. His mother said casualties were “flooding” in and out of the hospital and described it as “the most terrifying scene ever”.

Mohammed said: “The soldiers were laughing at us and hurling insults as we walked among them… When we arrived at the Indonesian hospital, the solders separated the men from the women and put them in a school and made the women continue walking along Salah al Din Road.

“I’m 16 years old, I’m still young. I continued walking with my mother, but the soldier ordered me in Arabic to go to the school.

“My mother told me, ‘don’t answer him and keep walking with me. I can’t leave you alone’. My father went, but I was still walking with my mother. But then the soldier raised his weapon at me and said to me, ‘I told you to go the school’.”

Mohammed and his father were taken to the al Kuwait School next to the hospital where they were ordered to sit outside for nine hours. His mother, separated from her son, was told to continue walking towards the Salah al Din Road.

He said: “The army was summoning 10 people then 10 more for examination for security… they put them in white uniforms blindfolded and walked barefoot the soldiers beat them if they fell.”

With a group of women and children, Mohammed’s mother was taken to a sandy area just off the Salah al Din Road where they sat in the sun for hours before eventually being released and walking to Gaza City. Three of the videos we geolocated were taken by Mohammed’s mother, 800m south of the Indonesian Hospital.

She told Sky News: “I filmed everything. I don’t know why I did it, I just wanted to show my son and husband what we were experiencing when I was reunited with them.”

Mohammed and his father were released separately that evening. He says he walked for five hours with no clothes to get to Gaza City, where he found his parents. They are unsure when or if they will be able to return safely to the north.

In response, the IDF said it addresses and examines events that deviated from IDF values through “command and disciplinary measures”. It said requested details necessary to examine the claim “were not provided” and therefore are unable to further review them.

Journey to Mawasi over 16km

The Israeli military has urged civilians to go to al Mawasi – a strip of land on the coast in southern Gaza which it deems a “humanitarian zone”. The United Nations humanitarian agency has said Gaza’s population of 2.3 million is increasingly concentrated in al Mawasi.

The military has frequently posted evacuation maps online – telling civilians which zones to leave and where they should go.

These maps are not the only form of evacuation notices issued by the IDF, who also use other methods like leaflets. But the Israeli military says they are created to minimise civilian casualties and Gazans are often told to refer to them.

Since the start of October, our analysis found the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson has posted three evacuation maps for northern Gaza – on 7, 8 and 12 October.

Two of the maps, posted on 7 and 8 October, show the same area, covering the majority of North Gaza governorate. The third map, posted on 12 October, covers the neighbourhood of Jabalia. Sky News compared these maps with UN maps of Gaza’s official administrative boundaries.

It is possible that the IDF has issued more evacuation orders in the period we analysed using maps and other methods which were not posted online. Our analysis is based on the information they have posted on their social media accounts.

Our analysis found that the areas evacuated between 7 and 12 October encompass 90% of the North Gaza governorate. The UN told Sky News that an estimated 90,000 people remain in the region.

Of the three maps we found, only one of them details the time period in which civilians were safe to travel on the given route. The other two do not provide a length of the evacuation order or an expiry date.

In response, the IDF said since the start of the war over two million evacuation notifications have been distributed, more than 12 million flyers have been dropped, over 100,000 phone calls made and over 800,000 voice messages sent for evacuations.

Measuring the distance between our geolocated videos of the evacuations and the Mawasi zone, we found civilians would have to walk at least 16km to get there.

We also found that the three hospitals that have recently been operational in northern Gaza – Kamal Adwan Hospital, Indonesian Hospital and al Awda Hospital, were included on two of the three evacuation maps we found.

The IDF expanded the area of the al Mawasi zone in October but has been criticised for its lack of support for civilians who have moved there.

Professor Clarke said: “If the Israelis are moving these people out, that can be permissible if they can provide evidence that they are providing for these people at the other end of their journey.

“Now, so far in the evacuations that we’ve seen in the last 12 months in Gaza, that has not been the case. The best the Israelis have managed is to allow the UN and relief organisations to do something. But the fact is it’s their responsibility, not the UN responsibility. It’s their responsibility as the occupying power to look after civilians, particularly civilians it may move for military reasons.”

The IDF said as part of its efforts in the humanitarian zone of al Mawasi, “proactive calls” were made for civilians to evacuate “to an area into which humanitarian aid was transported, including food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment, which included the provision of 40,000 tents purchased by the State of Israel”.

It added that due to recent operations in the Jabalia area, “prior notifications indicated the need for evacuation… which also includes several hospitals”. It said officials from the Palestinian healthcare system and international community requested IDF assistance in safely evacuating the hospitals in the area.

The military said “no specific time frame was set for the evacuation of the hospitals, and evacuations have been ongoing”.

There have also been significant changes to infrastructure in northern Gaza. Satellite imagery taken 10 days apart shows the disappearance of two large displacement camps and tents set up in schools.

Over 50 tents in a civilian displacement camp less than 500m north of the Indonesian Hospital is visible in imagery taken on 14 October but is not visible in an image taken on 24 October.

Another camp with over 100 tents less than 2km south is also not visible in the latest imagery of the area.

It’s unclear whether the camp was cleared by the military or civilians. The IDF facilitated evacuations in the area near the Indonesian Hospital within the 10-day period when the images were taken.

It’s not yet clear how long the Israeli offensive in the north will continue for. Aid organisations and members of the international community like the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), have raised concerns about the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, citing limited humanitarian aid getting through.

*Mohammed’s name has been changed to protect his identity.

Additional reporting by Celine Alkhaldi, Middle East producer, Michelle Inez Simon, visual investigations producer, Sam Doak, OSINT producer and Adam Parker, OSINT editor.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling, we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

World

Canadian PM criticises Trump over tariffs – and sends bold message to Americans

Published

4 hours ago

March 5, 2025

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Canadian PM criticises Trump over tariffs - and sends bold message to Americans

Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau has labelled new tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump as a “dumb thing to do”.

It was confirmed overnight that tariffs on goods coming into the US from Mexico, Canada and China had come into effect.

Mr Trump’s expansion of tariffs to cover the top three trading partners of the United States has been met with promises of retaliation and a retreat in stock market values globally.

Mr Trudeau, speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, said his government would file a legal challenge against the US at the World Trade Organisation, and that Canada was considering its options.

“Today the United States has launched a trade war against Canada, its closest partner and ally, its closest friend,” he said.

“They have chosen to sabotage their agenda. There is absolutely no justification or need for these tariffs today.”

He also described the tariffs as a “dumb thing to do” and that it undermined his understanding of an agreement he made with Mr Trump over fentanyl production.

Mr Trudeau also warned it would impact American workplaces and add to inflation in the US.

Addressing the American public, he said: “We don’t want this… but your government has chosen to do this to you.”

The new tariffs will be felt heavily by all exporters in those countries, but also by US companies which rely on supplies from them.

Mexico and Canada face tariffs of 25%, with 10% for Canadian energy. Tariffs on Chinese imports have doubled, raising them from 10% to 20%.

Canada announced it would retaliate immediately, imposing 25% tariffs on US imports worth C$30bn (£16.3bn).

It added that the tariffs would be extended in 21 days to cover more US goods entering the country without a climbdown.

Mr Trump responded by saying that he would match any Canadian tariffs immediately through higher duties.

At a news conference, outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau described the tariffs as “dumb” and said Canadian companies would be given government support that would even extend to protections against takeover interest caused by the trade war.

Mexico threatened both reciprocal tariffs along with non-tariff measures.

China also vowed to retaliate and reiterated its stance that the Trump administration was trying to “shift the blame” and
“bully” Beijing over fentanyl flows.

Stock markets were down sharply across the world on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the broader S&P 500 on course for big falls for a second day.

The Nasdaq later entered positive territory.

Share prices for carmakers were among the worst performers generally.

Companies including General Motors, VW and Mercedes saw sharp falls as each has factories in Mexico which sell into the US.

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European stock markets had achieved record levels on Monday on the back of higher defence spending pledges.

But the German DAX closed more than 3.5% off. Its leading faller was Continental, the car parts manufacturer best known for its tyres, which saw an 11% decline.

The CAC in Paris was down by almost 2% while the FTSE 100 closed 1.3% lower as fears of an expanded trade spat overcame global growth hopes.

The implications were playing out more widely.

Oil costs were down by 1.5%, with Brent crude trading at six-month low of $70 a barrel.

Cryptocurrencies were hit too amid the flight from risk. Bitcoin was trading at $83,170 – far below the $100k+ witnessed when Mr Trump took office.

There was also evidence that investors saw the tariffs as an own goal because the US dollar – usually a safe haven in times of market woes – came under pressure.

The pound was trading at its highest level versus the dollar since mid-December at just shy of $1.28.

The main threat to the US is that higher import costs, caused by tariffs, push up inflation as those costs are passed on.

Consumers in the US could see price hikes within days, one expert said.

Gustavo Flores-Macias, a public policy professor at Cornell University, New York, said “the automobile sector, in particular, is likely to see considerable negative consequences”.

This is due to supply chains that “crisscross the three countries in the manufacturing process” and ” because of the expected increase in the price of vehicles, which can dampen demand,” he added.

The Trump administration is gearing up to bring in other tariffs in the coming weeks.

On 2 April, reciprocal tariffs will take effect on all countries that impose duties on US products.

He is also considering 25% tariffs on goods from the EU “very soon” after claiming the bloc was created to “screw the United States”.

World

Zelenskyy is ‘untrustworthy crook and punk’, says ex-Trump aide

Published

4 hours ago

March 5, 2025

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Zelenskyy is 'untrustworthy crook and punk', says ex-Trump aide

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been called a “crook” and a “punk” by a former top aide to Donald Trump.

Steve Bannon also told Sky’s Ali Fortescue he thinks the US president should pull out of a planned minerals deal with Ukraine.

In a wide-ranging interview on the Politics Hub, the ex-chief strategist said Mr Trump’s efforts to improve relations with Russia is a “brilliant” move.

Mr Bannon said the UK and Europe need to “wake up” and realise they do not have to be worried about Russia invading the rest of Europe, as they do not have the army to do it.

“The rapprochement of the United States with Russia breaks the control of the Chinese Community Party… it’s a brilliant stroke.”

Follow latest: Zelenskyy’s olive branch to Trump

He added the EU “will come along with it” and insisted Mr Trump is “going out of his way to be a peacemaker”.

But he was clear about whether the leader should agree to sign a deal with Ukraine‘s president for rare minerals, which was supposed to happen on Friday until the pair had a heated row in the Oval Office.

“Absolutely not. He [Zelenskyy] had his shot. Zelenskyy is untrustworthy. He’s a crook and a punk. And he showed what a punk he was in the Oval Office the other day,” said Mr Bannon.

He suggested the row was prompted by Mr Zelenskyy trying to get security guarantees from the US, something the American public would not accept.

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Minerals deal a ‘gift’ to Ukraine

“They told him, time and time and time again, do not bring up security guarantees. A security guarantee means… American troops and that will never happen,” said Mr Bannon.

He also said the deal was unnecessary and only a “very general framework” anyway, which risked tying the US to the “future reconstruction of the country”.

“We don’t need a rare earth deal. The United States doesn’t need rare earths from Ukraine. That was a total gift to him and the Ukrainian people.”

However, sources have told the Reuters news agency that Mr Trump is planning to announce the US and Ukraine’s minerals agreement during his address to Congress on Tuesday.

Mr Trump has paused military aid to Kyiv in the most dramatic step yet in his pivot towards closer ties with Russia.

‘Let EU underwrite Ukraine security’

Mr Bannon also took aim at European nations, saying defence spending was insufficient: “Let them [the EU] step up and let them underwrite the security of Ukraine.”

In particular he described the UK’s commitment to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence as “nothing”. He also criticised Britain’s combat capabilities saying the economy “can’t afford it”, adding the “bond market already turfed out Liz Truss“.

He said the “reality” is that much of NATO did not spend enough on defence, has “faked” for decades its capability to take on Russia, and the military alliance would struggle to put up “two combat divisions”.

Mr Bannon also accused “much of the British establishment” of being in business with the Chinese Communist Party.

In terms of UK politics, he says he is “a Nigel Farage guy and believes in Reform“.

Mr Farage is close to the US president but has had to be slightly more reserved in his praise of him of late – knowing British public opinion is very much behind Mr Zelenskyy and Ukraine.

World

Zelenskyy says Ukraine ‘ready to come to negotiating table’ – after US pauses military aid

Published

4 hours ago

March 5, 2025

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Zelenskyy says Ukraine 'ready to come to negotiating table' - after US pauses military aid

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible” in the search for a “lasting” peace with Russia.

The Ukrainian president made the statement on social media hours after Donald Trump’s White House announced it was pausing US military aid to Kyiv.

He also said he was “ready to sign” a deal giving the US access to minerals in Ukraine – which has been a sticking point between the countries in the last week, with Kyiv seeking security guarantees in return.

It comes after vice president JD Vance said a potential European peacekeeping force in Ukraine would be “20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years” – sparking anger from a number of UK politicians.

Ukraine war latest: White House meeting ‘regrettable’, says Zelenskyy

The Ukrainian president stopped short of saying sorry in the statement, but outlined how the first stages of a possible peace deal might work.

He also reiterated how grateful he was for American support for Ukraine, after Mr Vance criticised him, claiming he had not shown enough gratitude during his explosive White House visit.

Mr Zelenskyy added: “Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be.

“It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right.

“We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”

Trump ‘focused on peace’ – but attacks Zelenskyy again

Earlier, a White House official, speaking anonymously, said: “President [Trump] has been clear that he is focused on peace.

“We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

There was no indication about the possible length of the pause, and there’s been no comment so far from Ukraine.

It comes after the astonishing clash between the two leaders – as well as Mr Vance – in the Oval Office on Friday.

Mr Trump‘s berating of Mr Zelenskyy was condemned by many and has led to a show of support from European leaders as they try to formulate their own way forward.

The US president attacked the Ukrainian leader again on Monday, telling reporters he should be “more appreciative”.

Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump also said Mr Zelenskyy had made “the worst statement that could have been made” after he commented that peace was still “very, very far away”.

“America will not put up with it for much longer!” he posted.

“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing,” the president added.

Mr Zelenskyy then posted on X that Ukraine was “working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace”.

“Peace is needed as soon as possible,” he said.

‘Music to the ears of Putin’

By David Blevins, US correspondent

President Trump’s decision to pause military aid to Ukraine marks a significant shift in US foreign policy, one previously considered unthinkable.

This blow to Ukraine’s defences in the face of Russian aggression will be music to the ears of President Putin. US military aid has kept Ukraine in this David and Goliath battle for three years.

It has funded what military analysts simplify as “the big stuff” of battle – artillery, anti-tank weapons, rockets and armoured vehicles. Trump’s decision to push pause disregards efforts by Keir Starmer and other European leaders to devise a peace plan.

Those already questioning Europe’s reliance on the US for defence will conclude they have been given the answer.

But the decision sets President Trump up for a potential confrontation with Republicans, who had approved the funding, in Congress.

White House sources say he wants President Zelenskyy to go on TV and apologise for the jaw-dropping showdown last Friday. But the Ukrainian president feels he has no apology to make for expressing his doubt about Russia’s commitment to peace.

Earlier, Trump side-stepped a question about a Kremlin diplomat claiming the US administration and Moscow were now aligned on foreign policy.

This weakening of Ukraine’s defence capability moves that question front and centre as he prepares to address Congress on Tuesday.

Despite the diplomatic crisis, Mr Trump has said a deal is still possible.

An agreement giving the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth metals was meant to have been signed by the two presidents on Friday.

It was billed as an important step in a future peace deal – and part payback for aid already received.

However, the dramatic falling out has thrown that into jeopardy.

Mr Zelenskyy wants the metals deal to include guarantees on halting Russia should it break the terms of any peace agreement.

Zelenskyy showed ‘lack of respect’

Mr Vance suggested on Monday that the metals pact was the best way to secure a lasting end to the war.

“If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Mr Vance told Fox News.

“That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years,” he added.

Mr Vance said Mr Zelenskyy had shown a “lack of respect” and “a certain sense of entitlement” in Friday’s trip to Washington.

He repeated that the door was still open if he altered his approach, but told Fox News he “still isn’t there”.

European and world leaders – who met Mr Zelenskyy at the weekend – have discussed a potential “coalition of the willing” to deploy peacekeepers and deter further Russian aggression.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain was prepared to put “boots on the ground and planes in the air” under the plan – but it’s unclear who else might participate.

He told MPs on Monday that Britain must “lead from the front” on supporting Ukraine and the “security of our continent, the security of our country”.

However, the prime minister believes any international deployment of troops must have a US “backstop” deterrent to be taken seriously by Russia.

America has given around €64bn (£53bn) of military aid to Ukraine, compared with €62bn (£51.3bn) from European nations (including Britain).

The overall US total is €114bn (£94bn) and the European one €132bn (£109bn). This includes humanitarian aid and other financial assistance to keep the country running.

Following the weekend summit, the UK also pledged £1.6bn in finance for Ukraine to buy another 5,000 air defence missiles.