On June 29, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump called for an end to the Gaza conflict on Sunday and once again urged the parties to reach a ceasefire agreement and release hostages. As this appeal was made, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders on the same day, demanding Palestinians to leave the northern Gaza Strip to avoid being harmed in potential escalated conflicts.
President Trump posted on his social media platform “Truth Social” in the early hours of Sunday, saying, “Reach an agreement in Gaza and let the hostages return home.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later held a meeting on the progress of Israel’s military operation on Sunday evening. A senior security official indicated that the military would report to him that the operation was close to achieving its goals and warned that expanding the fighting to new areas in the Gaza Strip could endanger the safety of remaining Israeli hostages.
In statements released on social media and messages sent to many residents, the Israeli military urged residents of northern Gaza to evacuate south to an area in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military stated, “The Israeli Defense Forces are carrying out extremely intense military operations in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, strengthen, and push westward toward the city center to destroy the military capabilities of terrorist organizations.”
The evacuation order covers much of the Jabalia area and Gaza City.
At a time of military escalation, mediators Egypt and Qatar, with the support of the United States, have initiated a new round of ceasefire mediation efforts to end the 20-month-long conflict and seek the release of Israeli and foreign hostages still being held by Hamas.
With the airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities by the U.S. and Israel, there is a heightened interest in resolving the Gaza conflict.
Hamas has stated that it will only release the remaining hostages in Gaza once an agreement to end the war is reached, with an estimated 20 hostages still alive. Israel, on the other hand, has indicated that the war can only end if Hamas disarms and disbands. However, Hamas has refused to lay down its arms.
The war began on October 7, 2023, with a sudden attack by Hamas on Israel. According to Israeli statistics, this attack resulted in about 1,200 deaths and 251 people being taken hostage in Gaza.
According to statistics from the Gaza Health Ministry controlled by Hamas, the subsequent Israeli military offensive has resulted in over 56,000 Palestinians dead, nearly all 2.3 million people in Gaza displaced, and the region plunged into a humanitarian crisis.
(This article is based on reports from Reuters)