GAZA CITY: The Israeli military ramped up its operations around Gaza City on Wednesday, as former US president Donald Trump prepared to host a White House meeting to discuss a controversial post-war plan for the devastated Palestinian territory.

Israel continues to face mounting international and domestic pressure to bring an end to its nearly two-year-long campaign in Gaza, where the United Nations has already declared famine conditions. A ceasefire proposal, recently accepted by Hamas, has been circulated by mediators, though Israel has yet to formally respond.

According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, at least 24 people were killed in the latest round of Israeli airstrikes and gunfire. The Israeli army said its troops were advancing on the outskirts of Gaza City to “locate and dismantle terror infrastructure,” signaling a possible push deeper into the enclave’s largest population center.

Aid agencies have repeatedly warned of catastrophic consequences if Israel widens its offensive. In a statement posted on X, the army’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee insisted that the evacuation of Gaza City was “inevitable.” The war has already displaced the overwhelming majority of the territory’s two million residents, with the UN estimating that nearly one million people remain in Gaza governorate alone.

In Jabalia, north of Gaza City, residents described scenes of panic after drones broadcast evacuation orders. “We scattered into the streets with nowhere to go, no homes to shelter us,” said Hamad al-Karawi, a displaced resident.

Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that top US officials would meet later on Wednesday to finalize a “comprehensive plan” for post-war Gaza. While he offered few details, Trump had earlier sparked global outrage by suggesting that the United States should seize control of the Strip, remove its population, and redevelop it as lucrative seaside real estate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly welcomed the proposal despite international condemnation.

On the ground, residents of Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood reported heavy bombardment overnight. “Warplanes struck again and again, while drones kept firing,” said 29-year-old Tala al-Khatib. “Some neighbors tried to flee, but wherever you run, death follows.”