Israel ordered the roughly one million residents of Gaza City to evacuate on Tuesday as its military prepared for a new ground operation and Israeli leaders warned they would “raze” the Gaza Strip if Hamas did not release hostages it holds.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Gaza residents to "get out of there" and said Israeli forces were assembling for a ground "manoeuvre," though the military reported no immediate advance of tanks into the city. Defence Minister Israel Katz said the campaign would intensify in a "mighty hurricane" and warned that if Hamas did not free all hostages and disarm, "they will be destroyed and Gaza will be razed." The Israeli military instructed Gaza City residents to move south toward the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which it has designated as a "humanitarian zone."
The evacuation order produced panic and confusion across the coastal enclave, where many residents have been displaced multiple times since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. Some said they would head south despite dangerous conditions; others said they had nowhere safe to go. Aid groups and international critics warn that large-scale movement and intensified operations could worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation, including reports of famine in parts of Gaza.
Israeli authorities say they have taken control of about 75% of Gaza since the Oct. 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas militants, which Israeli tallies say killed about 1,200 people and left 251 hostages taken. Israeli officials say 48 hostages remain in Gaza and that 20 of them are alive. Gaza’s health ministry reports more than 64,000 Palestinians killed since the conflict began and says much of the territory has been reduced to ruins.
The planned advance into Gaza City complicates diplomatic efforts to halt hostilities. Qatar has been mediating between Hamas and international interlocutors and pressing Hamas to respond to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire-hostage deal, an official familiar with the talks told Reuters. Hamas said it had received ideas from the United States and was discussing them with mediators. Israeli officials said Israel had accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States.
The conflict has prompted several European governments to announce plans to recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, a move Israel opposes. International concern has grown over Israel’s stated goal of demilitarising the Gaza Strip and reasserting security control, which critics say risks deepening the humanitarian crisis for Gaza’s roughly 2.2 million inhabitants.
Israeli forces have carried out strikes on structures they say were used by Hamas, including the demolition of a high-rise tower in Gaza City last week. The military said it had "identified significant Hamas terrorist activity" in various infrastructure sites and planned further targeting of high-rise buildings it said were being used by militants. Defence Minister Katz described recent operations in stark terms, saying the military was "opening up the gates of Hell" in Gaza.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that mass evacuations and intensified urban fighting would exacerbate food, fuel and medical shortages. United Nations and aid officials say displacement has been widespread and shelter, water and health services are critically strained. Israel says it is attempting to minimise civilian harm while pursuing military objectives and insisting that Hamas must release hostages and surrender its arms for hostilities to end.
The immediate trajectory of the offensive, including whether tanks will move into Gaza City and how many civilians will be able to reach designated humanitarian areas, remained unclear. International mediation efforts and the condition of the proposed ceasefire-hostage arrangements will shape prospects for pauses in the fighting and for delivering aid to the enclave’s beleaguered population.