The Israeli military on Tuesday morning issued its first full evacuation order for Gaza City, warning civilians to leave ahead of a planned expanded ground operation in the northern part of the territory. The order marks the most sweeping evacuation directive since the start of the current round of fighting, which has seen Israel intensify its offensive on what it calls Hamas’ last stronghold. AP reports that Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel had demolished 30 high-rise buildings in Gaza, which the military accuses Hamas of using for command centers, surveillance, and ot

The Israeli military on Tuesday morning issued its first full evacuation order for Gaza City, warning civilians to leave ahead of a planned expanded ground operation in the northern part of the territory. The order marks the most sweeping evacuation directive since the start of the current round of fighting, which has seen Israel intensify its offensive on what it calls Hamas’ last stronghold.

AP

reports that Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel had demolished 30 high-rise buildings in Gaza, which the military accuses Hamas of using for command centers, surveillance, and other military infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel has already destroyed at least 50 “terror towers,” referring to high-rises he said were being used by Hamas operatives. It was not immediately clear if Katz’s figure was in addition to Netanyahu’s count. The footage shows Benjamin Netanyahu warning residents of Gaza City on Monday to “leave now”, hours after Israel said it would escalate airstrikes on the territory. It came as Gaza’s health ministry said hospitals had received the bodies of 65 people killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours, with another 320 people wounded. Netanyahu called the demolitions “only the introduction, only the beginning of the main intensive operation — the ground incursion of our forces.” Over recent days, Israeli forces have leveled multiple towers in Gaza City, saying Hamas had embedded surveillance systems and other assets inside them. Israel’s intensified campaign is aimed at seizing full control of Gaza City, long seen as a center of Hamas’ military and political operations. The military has urged Palestinians to evacuate north Gaza for a designated humanitarian zone in the territory’s south. There are currently around 1 million Palestinians in and around Gaza City. Until Tuesday’s announcement, only a fraction had left despite repeated warnings.

Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza carrying their belongings on Sunday, September 7, 2025. (Alshrafi Jehad/AP)

Military spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee said last week that a full evacuation was “inevitable,” promising humanitarian aid for families who relocate southward. Aid groups, however, have warned that southern Gaza lacks the infrastructure and resources to absorb such a massive influx of displaced people. The ongoing war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 hostages. According to Israeli officials, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, with around 20 believed to still be alive. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed at least 64,522 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but says about half of the dead were women and children. The fighting has left large swaths of major cities in ruins and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of roughly 2 million people.  

A little more informed. A little more connected.