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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

Israel has approved a proposal by the defense minister to create a body to help move Palestinians out of Gaza.

NPR's Hadeal al-Shalti reports the death toll in Gaza surpassed 50,000 Palestinians since the start of the war in October of 2023.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his plan is the start of implementing the, quote, vision of the U.S. President Trump has

proposed the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and rebuilding the strip under U.S. ownership.

Katz said that the new body would be under the scope of the Israeli Ministry of Defense and will

help Palestinians in Gaza who want to leave to other countries in coordination with those

countries' governments.

He said this will include establishing pedestrian routes and coordinating travel infrastructure, including by land, sea, and air.

Katz also said last week that the military was getting ready to seize more territory in Gaza

if Hamas did not release all the hostages.

Hadil al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Wildfires have burned more than 4,000 acres

across parts of western North Carolina

prompting mandatory evacuations this weekend.

Gerard Albert III from Blue Ridge Public Radio reports,

the region is still recovering from Hurricane Helene that devastated the state last year.

The fires in Polk County are some of the biggest the area has seen in decades.

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