complete evacuation of the city earlier this week. Israel’s assault on Gaza City appeared to be intensifying, with evacuation orders for several towers issued within just a few hours Sunday morning.

 The strikes came ahead of a meeting called by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss efforts to avoid harming hostages still held in Gaza during a planned ground operation aimed at seizing control of Gaza City, according to a source familiar with the matter.

 The meeting will include Israel’s foreign and defense ministers, along with senior military and security officials, the source said. Around 20 hostages are believed to remain alive in Gaza, some reportedly in Gaza City. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in the region Sunday, arriving in Tel Aviv in the morning before visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City later in the day.

 Among the buildings struck was Al Kawthar Tower near Gaza’s port. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hamas was using the building to monitor Israeli troop movements. The IDF added that before the strike, “steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including advanced warnings to the population, the use of precise munitions, and aerial surveillance.”

 Al Kawthar – an 11-story building – is one of several high-rises destroyed or severely damaged since the IDF expanded operations into Gaza City earlier this month and ordered nearly a million residents to move south. Hours later, following another warning posted on X by the Israeli military, a multi-story building known as al-Mohna Tower in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood was struck but not demolished.

 Another target was a building at the Islamic University in Gaza, which was destroyed by several missiles, according to images and video from the scene. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz shared footage of the strikes on X, writing: “The ‘Islamic’ University in Gaza is going up in smoke. Eliminating the sources of incitement and terrorism.”

 At least 74 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, including more than 50 in Gaza City, hospital officials said. (CNN)