The Israeli military on Saturday ordered Palestinians in Gaza City to evacuate southward before launching an airstrike on a high-rise tower, as its forces press deeper into the enclave’s largest urban center.
For weeks, Israeli troops have been engaged in heavy fighting on the outskirts of northern Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to capture Gaza City. Netanyahu has repeatedly described the city as a Hamas stronghold, insisting that seizing it is essential to defeating the Islamist group responsible for the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war.
The intensified assault raises fears of a new wave of mass displacement, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still sheltering in Gaza City after nearly two years of conflict. Before the war, the city was home to about one million residents — nearly half of Gaza’s total population.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X (formerly Twitter) urging civilians to move to a designated coastal zone in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. He said the area has been designated a “humanitarian zone” where displaced people could access food, medical care, and shelter.
Alongside the evacuation call, the Israeli army also issued targeted “evacuation warnings” to residents in parts of Gaza City, warning of imminent strikes. Shortly after, airstrikes hit a multi-story building, further underscoring the scale of the ongoing offensive.
The latest escalation highlights both the humanitarian toll and the military stakes of Israel’s campaign, as civilians continue to bear the brunt of one of the deadliest and most protracted conflicts in the region’s recent history.
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