Israel orders Gaza City residents to move as genocide escalates amid famine crisis

Israel’s military has ordered Palestinians in Gaza City to move south, as it stepped up operations in the city further, which is facing severe famine and has been repeatedly targeted during the nearly two-year-long war.

Parts of Gaza City, home to nearly 1 million people, are already marked as “red zones,” where evacuation orders have been issued ahead of the expected attacks. Humanitarian groups have warned that mass evacuations could worsen the city’s dire situation, as many residents are too weak to move and have nowhere safe to go.

Israel also issued warnings for two high-rise buildings in Gaza City, claiming Hamas had military infrastructure inside or nearby. This comes a day after Israel struck another high-rise in the city, saying it was used by Hamas for surveillance. Many Palestinians, however, say they cannot leave due to weak health, children, the elderly, or wounded family members.

Israel has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the UN’s most cited source for casualties. Israel disputes these figures.