Israel has ordered a full evacuation of Gaza City ahead of a deeper ground push, directing civilians to move along the coastal route toward Al-Mawasi as air and ground operations intensify. “For your safety, evacuate immediately,” the military’s Arabic-language notice said, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “this is only the beginning of the intensified ground maneuver in Gaza City.”

Evacuation Order and Battlefield Picture

Leaflets and phone alerts instructed residents from the Old City and Tuffah “to the sea in the west” to head south via the Rashid axis to a designated “humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi. The army has in recent days struck high-rise towers as part of a stated plan to seize and hold Gaza City, saying it now controls roughly 40% of the urban area. “The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force,” its Arabic spokesman announced, as detonations rippled across dense neighborhoods where Hamas fighters are embedded within civilian districts.

Humanitarian Logistics and Aid Disputes

A senior Israeli official said only about 70,000 people—less than one-tenth of Gaza City’s population—had managed to leave so far, citing a shortage of shelters: just 3,000 tents had entered the enclave, with a goal of 100,000 “within three weeks.” Plans backed by the United States and Israel would expand aid distribution points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation from four to 16, although rights experts have urged dismantling the scheme over safety and oversight concerns, while some groups argue centralized sites can be secured to keep Hamas fighters away.

Political Ripples and International Reaction

The order arrives amid stepped-up strikes and domestic pressure in Israel to resolve the fate of hostages, while authorities warn Hamas fighters continue to use dense neighborhoods to resist advancing units. Outside actors have called for restraint and civilian protections as operations expand; live feeds and wire reports show renewed evacuations and fresh damage to residential towers. Diplomatic channels are focused on humanitarian access and deconfliction for aid convoys as the citywide order marks a new phase of the campaign to occupy the enclave’s largest urban center.