The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order covering the entirety of Gaza City for the first time during the current round of fighting, ahead of a planned offensive to take over and occupy the city.
The order on Tuesday caused a scramble in the densely populated city and placed the fate of its 1 million residents in limbo, as they decided whether to be displaced once again or stay amid intensifying Israeli bombing.
Humanitarians have repeatedly warned that the consequences of an offensive on Gaza City – which is in the grips of famine – would be dire for its residents and the strip as a whole. On Tuesday, six more Palestinians died from hunger, bringing the total number of people who have starved to death in Gaza to 399.
“I say to the residents of Gaza, take this opportunity and listen to me carefully: you have been warned – get out of there!” the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said. Israel describes Gaza City as Hamas’s last stronghold.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned residents of Gaza City to leave straight away, as...
