Israel Orders Full Gaza City Evacuation Amid Ground Offensive/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Israeli military has issued its first full evacuation warning for Gaza City as it prepares to expand its ground offensive. Hundreds of thousands face famine, displacement, and danger, with limited infrastructure to support those fleeing. Meanwhile, protests, political tensions, and deadly incidents continue across the region.
Gaza City Evacuation Crisis Quick Looks
- Israeli military urges full evacuation of Gaza City amid planned offensive.
- Over 1 million Palestinians remain in northern Gaza, facing famine.
- Israel demolishes 50 towers allegedly used by Hamas militants.
- Humanitarian groups warn evacuation costs exceed $1,000 per family.
- Civilian infrastructure, hospitals, and rescue teams overwhelmed or under-equipped.
- UN and aid agencies struggle to provide shelter and access.
- Hostage families in Israel call for ceasefire and negotiation.
- Hamas claims responsibility for deadly Jerusalem bus stop shooting.
- Two Palestinian teens killed in Israeli West Bank raid.
- Israel vows retaliation, imposes sanctions on attackers’ hometowns.
Deep Look: Israel Calls for Full Gaza City Evacuation as Major Ground Offensive Begins
DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA STRIP — In a sharp escalation of the war in Gaza, the Israeli military issued its most sweeping directive yet, calling for the full evacuation of Gaza City on Tuesday. This move signals the beginning of a broader, more intensive military operation aimed at dismantling what Israel describes as the last significant Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza.
The warning comes amid dire humanitarian conditions for the over 1 million Palestinians still in the north, many of whom are battling extreme famine, displacement, and lack of shelter.
50 High-Rises Leveled in Advance of Ground Invasion
The Israeli military says it has demolished 50 high-rise buildings in Gaza City over the past 48 hours, accusing Hamas of embedding command centers and weapons infrastructure within them. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the action as “only the beginning” of an extensive ground incursion to follow.
While Israel frames these demolitions as necessary military action, the civil defense in Gaza — operated by Hamas’s Interior Ministry — reported multiple casualties. Rescuers pulled two survivors and two bodies from one of the collapsed structures. Many more are believed to be trapped under rubble, but rescue efforts are hindered by a lack of heavy equipment.
Palestinians Hesitant to Flee Amid Rising Costs and Chaos
Though Associated Press journalists observed more cars than usual heading south, mass evacuations have yet to materialize. Widespread confusion, skepticism about safety in southern Gaza, and the economic burden of fleeing are major obstacles.
A coalition of humanitarian groups estimates only 50,000 Palestinians have evacuated north Gaza since September 7, while a similar number have relocated within the northern zone. For many, the decision to flee comes with heavy emotional and financial costs.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that evacuating a family can cost over $1,000, an unattainable sum for most, especially as Gaza’s economy has collapsed under siege.
Aid agencies have warned that displacement sites in the south are already overcrowded, and more than 86,000 tents and shelter materials remain stalled at border crossings, awaiting clearance.
Health Officials, Hostage Families Reject Evacuation Push
In Gaza City, doctors and medical workers staged a protest against the Israeli warnings. Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, stated, “We will never leave our land. Health care workers won’t leave, and we are calling for protection.”
At Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza, Director Dr. Rami Mhanna reported tense conditions but said the hospital remained operational. “There’s great psychological pressure on staff and patients,” he said, though he noticed little movement around the hospital after the evacuation warning.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem, families of hostages and survivors of captivity appealed to the Israeli government to pause its offensive and focus on negotiation.
“I was held captive by Hamas for 498 days,” said Iair Horn, whose brother remains in Gaza. “If I was released through a deal, then that’s the way to free the others.”
International Humanitarian Challenges Mount
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported that Israeli strikes on residential towers in Gaza City have left many families without homes, basic necessities, or shelter. Dozens are now living in the streets.
Israel’s military agency, COGAT, said that 1,500 aid trucks entered Gaza last week, and plans are underway to bring 100,000 adapted tents to replace those with metal poles — which Israel alleges are used by militants to build rockets.
Still, aid groups say the volume of supplies falls far short of the growing needs on the ground.
Violence Spreads Beyond Gaza: West Bank and Jerusalem Attacks
In the occupied West Bank, two 14-year-old Palestinian boys were killed in Jenin, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military claimed that people in the area “posed a threat” and that the region was under military closure at the time.
One witness, Ahmad Majarmeh, alleged that soldiers “opened fire randomly” as people tried to return to homes they had evacuated months ago.
In a separate, high-profile attack in Jerusalem, two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop, killing six civilians. Hamas later claimed responsibility, although Israel’s Shin Bet said neither shooter had a known militant background.
In response, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced severe sanctions on the attackers’ hometowns, including the revocation of 750 work permits and the demolition of buildings constructed without official authorization.
Humanitarian Toll Continues to Climb
Since the war began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led assault that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 64,500, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The ministry claims roughly half of the victims are women and children, though the number of militants killed remains unverified.
Israel’s response has left entire cities flattened, and 90% of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents displaced, either within the Strip or toward the southern border.
With both military action and humanitarian suffering intensifying, the future of Gaza remains deeply uncertain — as does the possibility of any near-term ceasefire or resolution.
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