Israeli Military Orders Gaza City Evacuation Amid Intensified Offensive

The Israeli military has instructed all residents of Gaza City to evacuate south to the central Gaza Strip amid an intensified offensive. Leaflets dropped by aircraft describe Gaza City as a “dangerous combat zone” and direct residents to leave via two designated safe routes leading to shelters in Deir al-Balah and al-Zawaida.

The UN has expressed deep concern over these evacuation orders. Over the past two weeks, Israeli forces have issued similar orders and re-entered several areas of Gaza City, targeting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters.

Fighting continues as indirect negotiations for a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas are set to resume in Qatar, with intelligence chiefs from Egypt, the US, and Israel attending.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced a “counterterrorism operation” against Hamas and PIJ fighters inside a UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City. The IDF opened a “defined corridor to facilitate the evacuation of civilians” before entering the structure and “eliminating terrorists in close-quarters combat.” UNRWA has not yet commented on the incident.

The IDF also reported killing dozens of fighters in Gaza City’s eastern Shejaiya district and dismantling underground tunnel routes over the past day.

On Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Office criticized the IDF’s evacuation orders, noting that areas designated for evacuation were already overcrowded with displaced Palestinians and lacked infrastructure and humanitarian aid.

The Israeli military’s campaign in Gaza aims to dismantle Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages. Since then, more than 38,295 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.