“Israeli military issues mass evacuation notice to 1 million residents of Gaza City ahead of ground offensive. Panic spreads as famine, displacement, and shattered infrastructure leave families with nowhere safe to go.”
Israel Orders Full Evacuation of Gaza City Before Ground Assault—and Civilians Panic
In an unprecedented escalation, the Israeli military has mandated the full evacuation of Gaza City, ordering its remaining residents—nearly 1 million people—to flee immediately. The directive, delivered via airdropped leaflets, warns of an imminent ground operation designed to dismantle Hamas’s final stronghold.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have stressed the urgency of the order. Katz notably declared that Gaza “will be razed” unless Hamas surrenders, prompting widespread panic and confusion among civilians already grappling with famine and displacement.
Gaza’s hospitals, including Al Shifa and Al Ahli, have been ordered to evacuate patients—even as medical staff insist they cannot abandon those in need.Reuters Humanitarian infrastructure is stretched to the breaking point, with overcrowded southern zones such as Al-Mawasi unable to safely absorb the influx of displaced families.
The evacuation order adds pressure to already faltering ceasefire talks being mediated in Doha. International actors warn that forcing mass displacement amid conflict and starvation hazards irreversible humanitarian damage.
