Israel warned residents of parts of Gaza City on Saturday that it planned an imminent attack and ordered civilians to evacuate southward to a designated humanitarian area in Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF spokesperson for Arabic media, posted a map highlighting the area and a single building that the military said it intended to strike "due to the presence of Hamas terrorist infrastructure inside or nearby". Adraee urged Palestinians in the marked neighborhoods to "immediately evacuate the area southward to the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis."
The warning came as the IDF expanded ground operations in northern Gaza City as part of an offensive the military is calling Operation Gideon's Chariots II. The operation marks an intensification of the campaign in the densely populated enclave and follows earlier moves by the military to concentrate civilians in a humanitarian area in Khan Younis in the south.
Palestinians have been moving southward in recent days amid the fighting, with footage and photographs showing families and individuals carrying belongings along streets such as Al-Rashid as they seek safety away from northern neighborhoods. The IDF statement emphasized that the evacuation order was for the safety of civilians and identified the southern humanitarian zone as the intended destination for those leaving the area.
Operational details released by the IDF noted the presence of what it described as Hamas command-and-control and terrorist infrastructure in the targeted area. The military has in recent weeks carried out a mix of airstrikes and ground raids in Gaza, citing the need to degrade militant capabilities. The expansion into Gaza City represents a shift toward more intensive urban operations in the north of the territory.
Humanitarian organizations and international actors have previously raised concerns about the protection of civilians in densely populated urban areas during the conflict and the ability of displacement centers to absorb large numbers of people. The IDF has repeatedly said it will declare and maintain humanitarian areas in the south to accommodate civilians, and the latest warning reiterated the directive to move to those zones.
The conflict has produced waves of internal displacement within Gaza as residents seek shelter away from combat zones. The IDF did not provide a public timetable for the planned strike beyond the immediate evacuation order. Palestinian authorities and local civil defense agencies typically advise civilians on movement and shelter options, while international agencies monitor humanitarian access and conditions in southern areas.
The announcement came as diplomats and relief organizations have called for measures to ensure civilians can reach safe areas and receive aid. The IDF's expansion of ground operations in Gaza City, and its naming of specific target areas, will likely affect the movement of people and the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the coming days as the military carries out its stated objectives in the northern sectors.