Israel issues evacuation warning to Gaza residents

by · Mail Online

The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order for residents of parts of Gaza City ahead of an attack.

'This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike,' army spokesman Avichay Adraee said today.

The army 'will strike all areas from which rockets are launched', he added.

The evacuation order comes at the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the main religious festivals of the Muslim calendar.

The Israeli military has recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.

International calls for a negotiated ceasefire have grown in recent weeks.

Hamas's lead negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya said on Thursday that the Palestinian Islamist group was ready to enter a new round of talks aimed at sealing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Talks aimed at brokering a new ceasefire have failed to yield a breakthrough since the last brief truce fell apart in March with the resumption of Israeli operations in Gaza.

The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for residents of parts of Gaza City on Friday ahead of an attack. Pictured: Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Friday, June 6
Israel has re-intensified an offensive against Gaza's dominant Hamas militant group since breaking a two-month-old ceasefire in March in a war triggered by Hamas' cross-border attack on October 7, 2023. Pictured: Israeli soldiers near destroyed buildings in the besieged Palestinian territory on June 5
'This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike,' army spokesman Avichay Adraee said. Pictured: Displaced Palestinians leave with their belongings following an evacuation order issued on Monday, May 19
The evacuation order comes at the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the main religious festivals of the Muslim calendar. Pictured: Palestinians gather to perform Eid al-Adha prayers in a tent erected next to the Great Omari Mosque, which suffered severe damage during recent Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza

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Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement late last month, but a deal proved elusive, with each side accusing the other of scuppering a US-backed proposal.

Israel has faced mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, after it imposed a more than two-month blockade that led to widespread shortages of food and other essentials.

It recently eased the blockade and has worked with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to implement a new aid distribution mechanism via a handful of centres in south and central Gaza.

But since its inception, the GHF has been a magnet for criticism from the UN and other members of the aid world - which only intensified following a recent string of deadly incidents near its facilities.

Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,402 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,677, mostly civilians.

The Israeli military has recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas , whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. Pictured: Israeli forces move along the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, on May 19
International calls for a negotiated ceasefire have grown in recent weeks. Pictured: Palestinians gather for Eid al-Adha prayers beside the ruins of Al-Kanz mosque destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza

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Earlier today GHF said all its distribution sites were closed until further notice, urging residents to stay away from these venues 'for their safety' after a series of deadly shootings.

The foundation, which last week started handing out meals to hungry Palestinians inside the war-shattered Gaza Strip, said that a reopening date would be announced later.

The GHF opened two sites in southern Gaza on Thursday after closing all of its centres the previous day in the wake of shootings in the vicinity of its operations. It has so far operated four distribution centres.

The organisation bypasses traditional relief agencies and has been criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations, for alleged lack of neutrality, which it denies.

GHF halted distributions on Wednesday and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site over three consecutive days.

The Israeli military said on Sunday and Monday that its soldiers had fired warning shots. 

Pictured: Palestinians gather to perform Eid al-Adha prayers in a tent erected next to the Great Omari Mosque, which suffered severe damage during recent Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza on June 6
Pictured: A man looks on at burned vehicles in the Barkan Industrial area, near Salfit in the occupied West Bank, on May 16, 2025, after more than 17 Palestinian workers' cars were reportedly set on fire by Israeli settlers the night before

On Tuesday, it said, forces also fired warning shots before firing towards Palestinians that it said were advancing towards troops. GHF has said that aid was safely handed out from its sites without any incident.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month vowed to 'take control' of the whole of the besieged territory as his military launched the new ramped-up campaign.

His cabinet approved plans for the expanded offensive currently under way and said it was aimed at the 'conquest' of Gaza and the displacement of its people. 

It came after Britain, France and Canada threatened Israel with sanctions unless it relents on its plans to expand military operations in the beleaguered territory.

A joint statement from the leaders of the three countries cited the 'intolerable' level of human suffering and 'denial of essential humanitarian assistance' in a stark warning.

An 11-week blockade on food, fuel, water and medicine has pushed the decimated civilian population of Gaza to the brink of famine, experts continue to warn.