Gaza City evacuation inevitable, Israeli army warns Palestinians

The Israeli military has told Palestinians that the evacuation of Gaza City is “inevitable”, as its forces prepare to conquer it.

In a post on X on Wednesday, the military’s Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said families relocating to the south would “receive the most generous humanitarian aid”.

Israeli tanks pushed into a new area of Gaza City overnight, forcing more residents to flee, witnesses said. Thousands have already moved because of recent Israeli advances – mostly to other parts of the city, where about a million Palestinians still live.

The evacuation call comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to chair a meeting on a post-war vision for Gaza at the White House.

In early August, Israel announced plans to occupy the whole Gaza Strip – including Gaza City, which it described as Hamas’s last stronghold.

The UN and non-governmental organisations have warned that an Israeli offensive in Gaza City would have a “horrific humanitarian impact”.

Late on Tuesday, tanks entered the Ibad al-Rahman district, in the city’s northern outskirts, destroying several homes, Reuters news agency reported.

“All of a sudden, we heard that the tanks pushed into Ibad al-Rahman, the sounds of explosions became louder and louder, and we saw people escaping towards our area,” Saad Abed told Reuters in a message from his home in Jala Street, about 1km (0.6 miles) away.

On Wednesday, the tanks reportedly retreated to Jabalia, an area further north where they have been operating.

Bombardment also continued in Gaza City’s Shejaiya, Zeitoun and Sabra districts.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that its troops had engaged in combat in the Jabalia area and on the outskirts of Gaza City, adding that they had eliminated a “terrorist cell” and located a weapons storage facility.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel’s intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.

But Netanyahu is facing both international and domestic pressure.

On Tuesday evening, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv demanding a ceasefire deal to bring home the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Only 20 of the 50 hostages are believed to be alive.

In Washington on Tuesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the White House was working on “a very comprehensive plan” for post-war Gaza.

He told Fox News that the plan “for the next day” would be discussed at a “large meeting in the White House” chaired by Trump on Wednesday.

He gave no details but said he expected the conflict in Gaza to be settled “one way or another, certainly before the end of this year”.

Israel’s military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Almost 62,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza’s population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have confirmed that there is famine in the Gaza City area.