Israel Orders Final Gaza City Evacuation; IDF Prepares To Crush Hamas
Israel orders a full evacuation of Gaza City's one million residents ahead of an intensified ground assault. The IDF warns civilians to leave immediately or face “extreme danger.”
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Israel has ordered a complete evacuation of Gaza City as forces prepare for an intensified ground assault against Hamas’s last remaining stronghold, warning nearly one million residents they face “extreme danger” if they remain.
IDF officials issued the sweeping evacuation order in Arabic today through leaflets dropped from aircraft and SMS messages sent directly to residents’ phones. All civilians across Gaza City must evacuate immediately via the Al-Rashid corridor to humanitarian zones in southern Gaza.
“The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate forcefully in Gaza City, just as it has across the Strip,” the military statement warned. “Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous.”
Several hundred Gazan residents took to the streets in a protest march, declaring they would not move south.
"We will not leave," and "Steadfast in Gaza," chanted protesters who carried signs with similar messages. Abu Salman al-Maani, a leader of the Supreme Authority for Clans in Gaza, called for the march to "resist deportation plans" and to pressure the international community. One protester stated, "We will not give up on Gaza. This is our last fortress, and we will remain here with patience and determination."
Approximately 100,000 civilians have already fled the city in recent days. However, estimates suggest around 900,000 still remain, including some Israeli hostages.
An Israeli security source, while acknowledging that the number of evacuees is currently low, said that officials believe the movement will increase in the coming days as residents "realize we are serious."
Al Araby is reporting that Gazan civilians are moving from the northern part of the Gaza Strip and Gaza City to the south, despite protests from Hamas. The report suggests that the displacement is taking place even as Hamas attempts to prevent residents from leaving.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that Israeli forces had already destroyed “50 terror towers” across Gaza City, emphasizing this represented only the beginning of the intensified ground operation.
“I promised you a few days ago that we would destroy Gaza’s terror towers. This is exactly what we are doing,” Netanyahu said in a Hebrew video statement from the Israeli Air Force operations center.
“In the past two days, 50 of these towers have fallen. Now all of this is just an introduction, just a prelude, to the main intense operation, a ground maneuver of our forces, who are now organizing and gathering in Gaza City.”
Netanyahu directly addressed Gaza City residents who had not yet evacuated what he repeatedly calls Hamas’s “last stronghold.” “Consider this your warning,” he said. “Leave now!”
Israeli forces currently control approximately 40% of Gaza City and 75% of the entire Gaza Strip, according to military spokesman statements. This operation, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots II,” aims to complete Israel’s military objectives following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw approximately 250 people taken hostage.
Initially, the Gaza City op will only be partial. IDF soldiers will attain swift operational control, but will not enter every neighborhood. The IDF and political echelon is also aware that hostages are either located in Gaza City, or will be moved out of Gaza City during the operation, and that they could be killed as a result.