Israel tells Palestinians to leave Gaza City as forces press deeper

The Israeli military on Saturday urged Palestinians in Gaza City to flee south as its forces pressed deeper into the territory's largest urban centre, warning that operations were underway across the city.

For weeks, Israeli troops have advanced through the northern suburbs after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the capture of Gaza City, which he calls a Hamas stronghold. He has said seizing the city is vital to defeating the Islamist group behind the October 2023 attack.

The assault threatens to uproot hundreds of thousands of civilians still sheltering there. Before the conflict, Gaza City was home to about one million people, nearly half of the strip’s population.

Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X that residents should head to a designated coastal zone near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where he said they would find food, medical care and shelter.

Israel says it now controls almost half of Gaza City and around 75% of the territory overall. But many of those still in the city were displaced earlier in the war, only to return, and some say they refuse to leave again.

Netanyahu’s order to storm the city came despite reservations from Israel’s top generals, officials said.

Tens of thousands of reservists have since been called up to support the campaign, which has seen weeks of heavy strikes and fighting within a few kilometres of the city centre.

The war has left Israel increasingly isolated abroad, with close allies condemning the devastation in Gaza. Inside Israel, families of hostages and their supporters are pushing for a diplomatic deal to end the conflict in exchange for the release of the remaining 48 captives. Officials believe 20 are still alive.

Netanyahu is demanding an all-or-nothing agreement in which all hostages would be freed at once and Hamas would surrender. Hamas has countered with offers to release some captives under temporary ceasefire deals, as was discussed in July before U.S. and Arab-mediated talks collapsed.

The group, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but now controls only parts of it, has said it would release all hostages if Israel ends the war and withdraws its forces. Most of those freed so far were released under international mediation.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that military operations would intensify until Hamas accepts Israel’s terms: releasing the hostages and disarming.

“Otherwise, the group will be destroyed,” he said.

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