By Nidal al-Mughrabi CAIRO (Reuters) -Fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment,

Leaked audio recordings broadcast Friday reveal remarks by Israel's former chief of military intelligence about the price he believed Palestinians should pay for Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Another Palestinian journalist was killed by Israeli army fire in Gaza, taking the death toll since October 2023 to 239, local authorities said on Tuesday. Islam Al-Koumi, a journalist working with several media outlets, lost his life late Monday when Israeli fighter jets bombed his house in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, local media said.

Mediators on Tuesday were awaiting Israel’s response to a fresh Gaza ceasefire plan, a day after Hamas accepted the proposal and signaled its readiness for a new round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war.

The plan would envisage people moving from an enclave shattered by almost two years of war with Israel to a nation in the heart of Africa riven by political and ethnically-driven violence.

Hamas said that Israel's plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a "new wave of genocide and displacement" for hundreds of thousands.