Israeli military operation intensifies in Gaza Citypublished at 08:19 British Summer Time
08:19 BST
Wyre Davies
Reporting from Jerusalem
Image source, ReutersImage caption,
A Palestinian man stands at the site of a collapsed residential building in Gaza City hit in an overnight Israeli air strike
In a statement from its Arabic language spokesman, the IDF’s message was unequivocal: “To all residents and those present in Gaza City and all its areas … for your safety, evacuate immediately.”
The statement continued, “remaining in the area is extremely dangerous”.
Israel is, in effect, ordering as many as one million people to leave the biggest conurbation in the Gaza Strip for what, it says, is the “humanitarian safe zone” of al-Mawasi, further south.
Israel says it will provide food and medical aid there, but al-Mawasi and other designated safe zones have been repeatedly bombed during the war and the UN says nowhere in Gaza can be considered as “safe”.
There are still faint hopes that vague ceasefire proposals put forward by Donald Trump might get Israeli and Hamas negotiators back around the table, but Israeli military activity in and around Gaza City has intensified, including air strikes overnight.
Benjamin Netanyahu said more than 50 buildings had been blown up by the Israeli Air Force in recent days and he said it was “only the beginning of the main, intensive operation” – a ground incursion into Gaza City.