Israeli military urgently calls for Gaza Strip residents to evacuate southward

The Israeli military said on Sunday that its calls on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to evacuate southward, away from the main focus of the war against Hamas, was now urgent.

“Over the last two weeks we have been calling on residents of the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City to relocate southward temporarily. Relocating southward is for their personal safety,” chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

“We are today emphasizing that this is an urgent call,” he said in a televised briefing. Hagari added that the number of people confirmed held hostage in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct 7 cross-border onslaught in southern Israel had risen to 239.