The Israeli military on Tuesday issued its first full evacuation order for Gaza City since the start of the current phase of fighting, signaling a major escalation in its campaign to root out what it says is Hamas’ last major urban stronghold.
The call for evacuation came as Israeli forces intensified operations in northern Gaza, warning approximately 1 million civilians in and around Gaza City to flee southward to a designated humanitarian zone. Prior evacuation orders had focused on neighborhoods and districts, but Tuesday’s message marks the first blanket warning for the entire city.
The move follows a string of demolitions targeting high-rise buildings, which Israeli officials say Hamas has used for military infrastructure, including surveillance equipment.
Speaking Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the military had destroyed 30 high-rise buildingsin Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the goal is to eliminate at least 50 such “towers of terror, “which he claimed are being used by Hamas fighters to monitor Israeli movements and direct attacks.
“Every tower that serves terrorism will be brought down,” Netanyahu said during a briefing on Monday.
In recent days, multiple buildings across Gaza City have been flattened by Israeli strikes, amid allegations from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that Hamas has embedded command posts and communications gear within civilian infrastructure.
The renewed offensive comes after months of ongoing fighting and widespread destruction in the coastal enclave. Israeli officials have described Gaza City as the last major Hamas stronghold, and its full capture is seen as a strategic objective in Israel’s ongoing war against the militant group.
However, humanitarian groups have warned that large-scale displacement in such a densely populated and devastated area could have catastrophic consequences. Many Gazans say there are no truly safe zones left, and that conditions in the south where civilians are being urged to go are already overwhelmed by previous waves of displaced families.
Despite the evacuation order, only a small fraction of Gaza City’s population has moved south, according to aid workers on the ground.
The UN and other international organizations have called for restraint and protection of civilians, as fears grow of worsening humanitarian collapse in the days ahead.
This latest escalation underscores Israel’s determination to dismantle Hamas’ presence in Gaza City and the growing toll on a civilian population caught in the crossfire.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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