Israel has called for more than 1 million people in Gaza City to evacuate southwards by midnight local time (Saturday, 8am AEDT), as it continues to carry out “military operations” in the area.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it would operate “significantly” in Gaza City in the coming days and civilians should only return when advised.
More than 1,500 Palestinians have already been killed in retaliatory attacks by Israel after Hamas militants launched a terrorist attack last weekend, killing hundreds and taking hostages.
“Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields,” the military said.
Salama Marouf, head of the Hamas government media office, said the relocation warning was an attempt by Israel “to broadcast and pass on fake propaganda, aiming to sow confusion among citizens and harm our internal cohesion”.
He added: “We urge our citizens not to engage in these attempts”.
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said it has relocated its central operations centre and international staff to Gaza’s south to protect its staff and continue to offer humanitarian support to Palestinian refugees.
“We urge the Israeli authorities to protect all civilians in UNRWA shelters including schools,” the agency said on social media platform X.
IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Jonathan Conricus said on X that the Israeli military did not want to target Gazan civilians.
He reiterated that Palestinians in Gaza should relocate south of the barricaded strip of land within the next 24 hours.
“We understand that this will take time,” he said.
“It’s not an easy process. The aim of this evacuation is simply to save lives.”
The World Health Organization said local health authorities in Gaza had informed it that it was impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients from northern Gaza after Israel’s military called for civilians to relocate south.
“There are severely ill people whose injuries mean their only chances of survival is being on life support, such as mechanical ventilators,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said.
“So moving those people is a death sentence. Asking health workers to do so is beyond cruel.”
Earlier in the day, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric had said UN officials “were informed by their liaison officers in the Israeli military that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours”.
Mr Dujarric said it would be “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences”.
“The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded, avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation,” he said.
Mr Dujarric said the Israeli order also applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities, including schools, health centres and clinics.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, slammed the UN’s response.
“The UN’s response to Israel’s early warning to the residents of Gaza is a disgrace,” he said.
Mr Erdan said the UN should focus on condemning the militant group Hamas and support Israel’s right to self-defence.
“For many years, the UN turned a blind eye to the arming of Hamas and its use of civilian populations and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip for murder and for stockpiling its weapons,” he said.
