After days of relentless airstrikes that leveled several high-rise buildings and just one day after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas attack, the IDF issued a mandatory evacuation order for all residents of Gaza City. The order warns that remaining in the area is extremely dangerous.
The IDF released the order Tuesday morning in Arabic, accompanied by leaflets dropped from aircraft and SMS messages to residents’ phones.
IDF strikes in Gaza City
The IDF estimates that despite many leaving the city following previous warnings, around 900,000 people remain, including eight to ten Israeli hostages still alive.
It directed all residents and visitors across Gaza City—from the Old City and Tuffah neighborhood in the east to the coastline in the west—to evacuate immediately via the Al-Rashid corridor to humanitarian zones in the south. “The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate forcefully in Gaza City, just as it has across the Strip,” the message said. “Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous.”
The notice also provided a phone number (052-9625830) for residents to report Hamas checkpoints or any attempts to block evacuations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Monday that the IDF had destroyed “50 terror towers” across the city, stressing that this was only the beginning of the intensified ground maneuver.
He warned residents who had yet to leave the “Hamas capital,” which he has repeatedly called the terror group’s “last stronghold,” to evacuate immediately. “Consider this your warning,” Netanyahu said. “Leave now!”