Israel has ordered 1million Palestinians to evacuate Gaza ahead of an expected military purge of the razed city.
All residents have been warned to leave “immediately” as forces prepare to launch a new offensive in the enclave, much of which has been reduced to rubble and ruins.
The orders – issued in airdropped leaflets – have sparked panic and confusion in the embattled territory’s largest city.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed taking over Gaza City will convince Hamas to free the remaining Israeli hostages and lead to the group’s defeat.
The evacuation order is the largest since the terror group invaded Israel and killed 1,200 during its murder spree on October 7, 2023.
It means hundreds of thousands will have to decide whether to risk staying put or leaving for hugely overcrowded areas.
It is understood the vast majority of Palestinians living in Gaza will defy the diktat rather than make the perilous 17-mile trek south to a humanitarian zone in Khan Younis.
The anticipated full-scale invasion is central to Israel’s primary objective to return 48 still being held captive by Hamas.
Eyal Zamir, Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said: “We have entered the second stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in order to achieve the objectives of the war. The return of our hostages is a moral and national duty. We will continue operating against Hamas’ main strongholds until its defeat.”
In its latest update the Hamas-run health ministry claims six more people have died in Gaza due to malnutrition in the past 24-hours bringing the total number of deaths due to malnutrition to 399, including 140 children.
The figures have not been independently verified but famine was confirmed in Gaza on August 22 by UN-backed food security experts, although aid teams have warned repeatedly of mass starvation across the war-torn enclave, citing the Israeli blockade.
Critics of Mr Netanyahu’s wider plan – which includes demilitarising Gaza as Israel seizes control of it – could significantly worsen the plight of 2.1 million people living there.
The UN said: “The narrow window to prevent the spread of famine from northern Gaza to other parts of the Strip is closing fast.”
Gaza Humanitarian Forum, an Israeli and US-backed mechanism for distributing aid, said: “The forced displacement of an entire population – including children, the elderly, and people with disabilities – after months of deteriorating health conditions, food insecurity, and even malnutrition, into overcrowded areas lacking the resources to absorb them, only heightens the risk to their health and to public health overall.
“Such sweeping evacuations deepen the humanitarian crisis and may also undermine the possibility of creating safe and agreed conditions for the release of the hostages held by Hamas. The only viable solution is the establishment of a humanitarian space that meets international standards for the reception of displaced populations, enabling UN agencies, experienced in this field of work, to prepare.”
A potential military takeover would further hamper efforts to enforce a ceasefire.
It comes after Israel ordered the demolition of homes of two Palestinian gunmen who carried out a deadly attack at a bus stop in Jerusalem.
The gunmen, from the towns of Qatanna and Qubeiba in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday, killing six.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said he had ordered sanctions to be imposed on the attackers’ family members and residents of the two villages.
Every structure that had been built without permits in the two towns would be demolished, and 750 people would have their permission revoked to work in Israel.
Israel said destroying the homes of relatives of attackers and their fellow villagers stands as a deterrent to future attacks.
