January 22, 2026
World
World
TOKYO, Jan 22 — Japan has halted the restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant just hours after it began, though the reactor remains “stable,” the operator said.
JERUSALEM, Aug 17 — Starting today, Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter items ahead of being relocated from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety,” the Israeli military said on Friday.
The announcement follows Israel’s stated intention to launch a new offensive to take control of northern Gaza City — the enclave’s largest urban area — prompting international concern about the fate of the roughly 2.2 million people living in the devastated strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last Sunday that civilians would be evacuated to so-called “safe zones” in southern Gaza before the offensive begins, describing Gaza City as Hamas’ final stronghold.
According to the military, the shelter equipment will be brought in through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza by the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations, after undergoing inspection by Israel’s defence ministry.
A spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs voiced concern that moving people to southern Gaza would worsen their suffering. However, the spokesperson also welcomed Israel’s acknowledgement of the need for shelter and said the UN and its partners would take advantage of the opportunity to bring in aid.
The UN warned on Thursday that thousands of families, already living in dire conditions, could face even more severe hardship if the plan to move people out of Gaza City goes ahead.
Both Palestinian and UN officials have stressed that no area in Gaza is truly safe, including the parts in the south where Israel has asked residents to relocate. The military would not say whether the shelter equipment was intended for the approximately one million people currently in Gaza City or whether the relocation area would include Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that plans for the offensive were still being developed.
Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group allied with Hamas, called the military’s announcement “a blatant and brazen mockery of international conventions” and part of a wider effort to occupy Gaza City.
Israeli operations on the outskirts of Gaza City have already intensified in recent days. Residents of the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods reported heavy Israeli air and tank fire, with explosions caused by tank shelling targeting homes in eastern parts of the area.
On Friday, the Israeli military said it had launched a new operation in Zeitoun aimed at locating explosives, destroying tunnels and eliminating militants.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Of the remaining 50 hostages believed to be in Gaza, 20 are thought to still be alive.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and plunged the territory into a severe humanitarian crisis, displacing most of its population and devastating large parts of the enclave.
Protests calling for the release of hostages and an end to the fighting were expected to take place across Israel today, with many businesses, municipalities, and universities supporting employees choosing to strike. Negotiations for a US-backed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release collapsed last month, though mediators Egypt and Qatar are still trying to restart talks. — Reuters
The announcement follows Israel’s stated intention to launch a new offensive to take control of northern Gaza City — the enclave’s largest urban area — prompting international concern about the fate of the roughly 2.2 million people living in the devastated strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last Sunday that civilians would be evacuated to so-called “safe zones” in southern Gaza before the offensive begins, describing Gaza City as Hamas’ final stronghold.
According to the military, the shelter equipment will be brought in through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza by the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations, after undergoing inspection by Israel’s defence ministry.
A spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs voiced concern that moving people to southern Gaza would worsen their suffering. However, the spokesperson also welcomed Israel’s acknowledgement of the need for shelter and said the UN and its partners would take advantage of the opportunity to bring in aid.
The UN warned on Thursday that thousands of families, already living in dire conditions, could face even more severe hardship if the plan to move people out of Gaza City goes ahead.
Both Palestinian and UN officials have stressed that no area in Gaza is truly safe, including the parts in the south where Israel has asked residents to relocate. The military would not say whether the shelter equipment was intended for the approximately one million people currently in Gaza City or whether the relocation area would include Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said yesterday that plans for the offensive were still being developed.
Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group allied with Hamas, called the military’s announcement “a blatant and brazen mockery of international conventions” and part of a wider effort to occupy Gaza City.
Israeli operations on the outskirts of Gaza City have already intensified in recent days. Residents of the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods reported heavy Israeli air and tank fire, with explosions caused by tank shelling targeting homes in eastern parts of the area.
On Friday, the Israeli military said it had launched a new operation in Zeitoun aimed at locating explosives, destroying tunnels and eliminating militants.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Of the remaining 50 hostages believed to be in Gaza, 20 are thought to still be alive.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and plunged the territory into a severe humanitarian crisis, displacing most of its population and devastating large parts of the enclave.
Protests calling for the release of hostages and an end to the fighting were expected to take place across Israel today, with many businesses, municipalities, and universities supporting employees choosing to strike. Negotiations for a US-backed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release collapsed last month, though mediators Egypt and Qatar are still trying to restart talks. — Reuters
