Israel's Gaza drive fans fear of Palestinians' eviction

GAZA, Sept 20 (Reuters/AFP): For a decade, Palestinian bank worker Shady Salama Al-Rayyes paid into a $93,000 mortgage on his flat in a tall, modern block in one of Gaza City's prime neighbourhoods. Now, he and his family are destitute, after fleeing an Israeli demolition strike that collapsed the building in a cloud of black smoke and dust.

The September 5 attack on the 15-storey Mushtaha Tower marked the start of an intensified Israeli military demolition campaign targeting high-rise buildings ahead of a ground assault towards the heart of the densely populated city, which started this week.

Over the past two weeks, Israel's armed forces say they have demolished up to 20 Gaza City tower blocks they say are used by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 50 "terrorist towers" had been demolished.

The campaign has made hundreds of people homeless. In a similar time frame, Israeli forces have flattened areas in the city's Zeitoun, Tuffah, Shejaia and Sheikh al-Radwan neighbourhoods, among others, 10 residents told Reuters. The damage since August to scores of buildings in Sheikh al-Radwan is visible in satellite imagery reviewed by the news agency.

Al-Rayyes said he feared the destruction was aimed at permanently clearing the population from Gaza City, a view shared by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR). Its spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement that such a deliberate effort to relocate the population would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

"I never thought I would leave Gaza City, but the explosions are non-stop," Al-Rayyes said on Wednesday. "I can't risk the safety of my children, so I am packing up and will leave for the south." Al-Rayyes vowed, however, never to leave Gaza entirely.

Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said in May that most of Gaza would soon be "totally destroyed" and the population confined to a narrow strip of land near the border with Egypt.

Israel, which has called for all of Gaza City's civilian residents to leave during the offensive, last week closed a crossing into northern Gaza, further limiting scarce food supplies.

In response to questions for this story, Israel's military spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nadav Shoshani said "there's no strategy to flatten Gaza." He said the military's aim was to destroy Hamas and bring hostages home.

Portugal to officially recognize

State of Palestine today

Portugal will officially recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday, Lisbon's foreign ministry said on Friday, ahead of a UN General Assembly where around 10 other countries are set to follow suit.

Britain, Canada and France are among the other Western nations planning to give a Palestinian state recognition at the assembly, which comes as Israel's campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip grinds on.

Lisbon had already announced in July that it intended to do so given the "extremely worrying evolution of the conflict", as well as the humanitarian crisis and Israel's repeated threats to annex Palestinian land.

"The ministry of foreign affairs confirms that Portugal will recognise the State of Palestine... the official declaration of recognition will be made on Sunday, September 21," a statement on the ministry's website said.

Israel has fiercely criticised plans for Palestinian recognition, arguing that it rewards Hamas for its October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

Yet the spiralling humanitarian crisis in the coastal strip, where the United Nations has warned of famine in Gaza City, has convinced even some of Israel's longtime allies to recognise a Palestinian state.

Earlier Friday, an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and San Marino also plan to recognise the State of Palestine.

Beginning on Monday, next week's UN General Assembly in New York is set to be devoted to the question of the so-called two state solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Around three-quarters of the 193 members of United Nations already recognise the State of Palestine.