Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding a meeting of his security cabinet to discuss plans to take over all of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Defence Force has just told people in Gaza City to leave two areas.In an interview with Fox News, Mr Netanyahu says Israeli control is not the long-term goal, and that Israel will hand over Gaza to Arab forces once Hamas has been removed.
Aid agencies say escalating military operations in Gaza City would be "devastating". Meanwhile families and supporters of the hostages being held in Gaza have chained themselves together outside Benjamin Netanyahu's office, saying his latest comments are a death sentence for their loved ones.
Ilan Noy is an a leading academic in the economics of disasters - at Victoria University in Wellington. He holds dual Israel and New Zealand citizenship - and says the impacts of the disaster in Gaza will be felt for generations to come, including in his own family.
A member of the security forces walks past an Israeli police station in Sderot after it was damaged during battles to dislodge Hamas militants who were stationed inside, on 8 October 8, 2023. Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP
