Israeli military pressed operations around Gaza City as President Donald Trump prepared to host a White House meeting on postwar plans for the shattered Palestinian territory. Israel has said it is preparing to launch a new offensive in Gaza City, which it describes as Hamas’s last bastion. Thousands have already left, but church leaders in the city said on Wednesday they were staying put, as leaving Gaza City and “trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence”. Israeli soldiers prepare tanks last week on the the Gaza border, when it launched a ground offensive in an effort to capture and occupy all of Gaza City. Gaza health authorities said Israeli fire had killed at least 20 people, including a four-year-old girl, across the enclave.
