Israel ordered the roughly one million residents of Gaza City to evacuate on Tuesday as its military prepared for a new offensive, and senior Israeli officials warned the enclave could be "razed" if Hamas did not release the remaining hostages it holds.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said civilians in Gaza City had been "warned" and urged them to leave, while Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would step up its campaign in a "mighty hurricane" and threatened that "if Hamas terrorists do not lay down their arms and free all the hostages, they will be destroyed and Gaza will be razed." The Israeli military instructed Gaza City residents to relocate to the southern Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which it designated as a humanitarian zone.
The evacuation order intensified panic and confusion among residents already displaced multiple times since the conflict began in October 2023. Many said they had no safe place to go. "Despite the bombardment in the past week, I have resisted leaving, but now I will go to be with my daughter," said Um Mohammad, a 55-year-old mother of six, describing the pressure to move south.
Israeli forces have been assembling for what the military described as a ground "manoeuvre" into Gaza City, though officials said there had been no new tank advances early Tuesday. The planned operation follows weeks of warnings from Israel that it intends to eliminate what it calls Hamas's remaining strongholds in the city's urban environment. The military has said it identified significant Hamas activity in a variety of infrastructure sites, including high-rise buildings, and has targeted tall buildings it said were used by militants.
The order comes amid ongoing, high-stakes mediation aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Qatar has been pressing Hamas leaders to respond to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire-hostage deal, and Hamas said it had received ideas from the U.S. side and was discussing them with mediators. Israel's foreign minister said Israel has accepted a ceasefire proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Israeli statements.
The military campaign has already caused widespread devastation and displacement. Israel says Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli authorities say 48 hostages remain in Gaza, and that 20 of them are alive. Gaza's health ministry reports that more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict and that nearly the entire population has been internally displaced; aid groups and U.N. agencies warn of severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies, with famine declared in some areas.
International responses to the new orders were mixed. Several European countries have said they will recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly this month, moves Israel rejects and that officials say could complicate diplomatic dynamics. The prospect of a major offensive in Gaza City has made ceasefire efforts more urgent, with mediators working to secure terms that would halt fighting while addressing the fate of the hostages.
The Israeli defence minister's recent rhetoric has been strident. Katz wrote on the social platform X that the military was "opening up the gates of Hell" in Gaza and described prestrike evacuation notices to high-rise buildings he said housed terrorists. The military said it destroyed a Gaza City high-rise last week that it alleged had been taken over by militants.
Humanitarian organisations and U.N. agencies have repeatedly warned that any intensified ground offensive in densely populated Gaza City could deepen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Aid groups say repeated displacements, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and restrictions on deliveries of food, fuel and medical supplies have left millions in urgent need of assistance.
Israeli officials say the operation is aimed at dismantling Hamas's military capacity within Gaza City and securing the release of hostages. Hamas has said it will not disarm unless there is progress toward an independent Palestinian state. The announcement of the evacuation and the accompanying threats come as Israel has increased mobilisations and airstrikes and consolidated control over significant portions of Gaza since the war began.
As the orders took effect, residents and aid agencies warned of severe logistical challenges in moving large numbers of people in a territory with degraded infrastructure and limited safe corridors. The international community continued to press for a negotiated pause to allow for humanitarian access and hostage negotiations, even as military and political leaders on both sides emphasized differing end conditions for halting the fighting.