Israel Orders Full Evacuation of Gaza City Ahead of Expanded Ground Offensive

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s military on Tuesday ordered the full evacuation of Gaza City, home to nearly half of the Gaza Strip’s population, as it prepared to launch what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “major action” against Hamas in the enclave.

In an unprecedented notice posted online, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned that “remaining in the area is extremely dangerous” and urged civilians to leave immediately via the Al-Rashid Corridor toward the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in the south. Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, said the IDF was “determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force.”

The order marks the first time Israel has directed the evacuation of the entire city during the nearly two-year war. The IDF says it already holds 40% of Gaza City and roughly 75% of the Strip, and is now pressing ahead to dismantle what it describes as Hamas’s last major stronghold.

Netanyahu, visiting the Air Force’s underground command center in Tel Aviv late Monday, said Israel had demolished 50 high-rise “terror towers” in recent days. “This is only the beginning of the main and more powerful operation,” he declared. “To the residents of Gaza City: You have been warned—get out of there.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that 30 of the demolished towers contained Hamas observation and command infrastructure. “If Hamas refuses to lay down its arms and release all remaining hostages, they will be destroyed and Gaza will be ruined,” Katz warned.

The mass evacuation is expected to prove difficult, as many Gazans have already been displaced multiple times and say they have nowhere left to go. Israel has directed civilians to Khan Younis and Al-Mawasi, where it says humanitarian aid has been increased, though aid groups caution that supplies remain far below the needs of the swelling population.

Some 100,000 people have already left Gaza City, according to Israeli officials, but as many as 300,000 remain. Hamas has urged civilians to stay, accusing Israel of forcing mass displacement, while Israel charges the terrorist group with using civilians as human shields.

The latest escalation comes after Israel’s security cabinet voted last month to occupy Gaza City and pressure Hamas into surrender. Netanyahu has said the war will end only when Hamas is disarmed, the hostages are returned, Gaza is demilitarized, and Israeli security control is established alongside a new civilian administration.

Even as Israel claims to have eliminated most of Hamas’s senior leaders and battalions, terrorists continue guerrilla-style attacks. On Monday, an explosive device thrown into an Israeli tank in northern Gaza City killed four soldiers, the military confirmed.

Legal experts have warned that Israel’s planned occupation could make it responsible for providing basic services in Gaza, a burden that currently falls largely on aid groups and remnants of local governance. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israel is nevertheless pressing forward: “We are expanding activity in order to achieve the decisive defeat of Hamas, and are operating offensively and proactively in all arenas.”

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