Israel submits revised Gaza withdrawal plan amid escalating violence

Israel has submitted a third revised proposal for the phased withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip to international mediators, diplomatic sources confirmed Monday, as renewed Israeli air strikes killed at least 47 Palestinians, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the "horrific" deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave.  

Indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Qatari capital Doha have recently stalled.

Under the newly reported proposal, Israel would reduce its military presence to a 2-kilometer-wide buffer zone along the southern border near Rafah.

However, according to the Arab diplomat cited by the Times of Israel, it is doubtful whether this concession will lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations.

Israel had previously been adamant that its forces remain in a relatively large area, including a three-kilometer-wide buffer zone along the border with Egypt near Rafah, as well as the so-called Morag Corridor, which separates Rafah from Khan Younis, the next second city in the coastal strip. Hamas, however, has demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the positions they held before the collapse of the last ceasefire in March. 

Despite diplomatic efforts, Israeli air strikes intensified across Gaza. At least 47 Palestinians were killed on Monday, including in Bureij and al-Nuseirat refugee camps, multiple Gaza City neighborhoods and Khan Younis. Strikes also hit tents sheltering displaced persons, killing 20, and gunfire near an aid center in Rafah killed two more.

Palestinian armed groups reported clashes in Khan Younis, Jabalia and al-Tuffah. Hamas claimed it targeted an Israeli vehicle; Islamic Jihad said it destroyed several. 

Hamas also accused Israel of targeting water facilities in a "systematic water war."

In a separate development, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Monday that the continued absence of international deterrence mechanisms is encouraging Israeli settlers to escalate violations against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday described the situation in Gaza as "horrific."

"What we are witnessing in Gaza is a level of death and destruction that has no parallel in recent times," he told reporters.

Guterres said the violence undermines the most basic conditions of human dignity for the population of Gaza, "independently of the enormous suffering that they are having."

The UN chief reiterated his plea for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

"I hope that the parties are able to overcome ... the difficulties that they still find for that ceasefire to take place," he said. "But the ceasefire is not enough. It is essential that that ceasefire leads to a solution, and that solution can only be possible if both Palestinians and Israelis can have a state where they can exercise their rights."

The secretary-general said the condition of Palestinians living "in their own lands, without any rights is something that is totally against humanity and totally against international law."

UN agencies condemned attacks on civilians seeking aid. OCHA said seven children were killed while waiting for water in Nuseirat, days after women and children died queuing for food. UNICEF called the killings an "outrage" and stressed civilians must not risk death for essentials.

The health system is near collapse. A specialist surgeon was killed, and hospitals are barely functioning amid fuel shortages. UN officials warned that limited fuel deliveries last only a day and urgently called for sustained access.

OCHA said more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition last month, including 1,000 with severe acute malnutrition. Aid entering Gaza remains grossly insufficient for the 2.1 million residents. Israeli authorities continue to issue evacuation orders – the latest affecting 70,000 people in Gaza City's Rimal area. Over 86 percent of Gaza is now under displacement orders or militarized zones.

OCHA also reported rising violence in the West Bank, with over 700 settler attacks in early 2025 affecting more than 200 communities, mostly in Ramallah, Nablus, and Hebron, causing casualties and property destruction.

(With input from agencies)