Israel attacks central Gaza, orders evacuation minutes before bombardment

Israel has ramped up attacks on the Gaza Strip in recent days, with overnight raids pounding central Gaza, leaving families with only minutes to evacuate.

On Friday night, the Israeli strikes hit several Palestinian neighborhoods and blocks in central Gaza, forcing residents to shelter and triggering panic among civilians.

The escalation comes as Israel continues a broader military buildup in Gaza, with more evacuation orders.

This time, however, the Israeli army was reportedly giving Palestinians as little time as five minutes to leave their homes, barring them from taking basic belongings.

"I looked around and saw everything destroyed. It was an enormous missile that wiped out the entire residential block. Even the vehicles were thrown into the air. That jeep was blown from here, another vehicle landed in the neighboring house, and another home was completely destroyed," said Ibrahim Hamada, an eyewitness.

"The war is still going on -- there is no ceasefire at all. The bombardment brings back memories of destruction and death. It reminds us that Israel is continuing on this path of devastation until the last person in Gaza is gone. That is the message we feel they are sending us," said Hanaa Halawa, a displaced Palestinian.

"We were sitting safely at home when we received a phone call from the Israeli military ordering us to evacuate the residential block. We rushed out without being able to take anything except our phones. When we came back, we found the entire area completely destroyed, as you can see," said Baraa Matar, another displaced Palestinian.

According to data released by the Gaza Health Ministry on Thursday, Israeli military operations in the strip had resulted in 1,127 deaths and 3,643 injuries since the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire took effect in Oct 2025.

Israel attacks central Gaza, orders evacuation minutes before bombardment

Israel attacks central Gaza, orders evacuation minutes before bombardment

The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.

The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.

In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.

This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.

A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.

A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.

This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.

CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival