From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
In first, Israel orders all of Gaza City to evacuate ahead of ground invasion
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF says Palestinian civilians in all areas of Gaza City must evacuate immediately ahead of a major ground offensive against Hamas in the area.
The warning marks the first widespread evacuation order for all of Gaza City. Previous warnings issued by the IDF in recent days only included specific buildings and the area surrounding them.
“The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force, just as it has throughout the Strip,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, says on X.
#عاجل إلى جميع سكان مدينة غزة والمتواجدين في كل أحيائها، من المدينة القديمة وتفاح شرقًا وحتى البحر غربًا
⭕️جيش الدفاع مصمم على حسم حماس وسيعمل في منطقة مدينة غزة بقوة كبيرة، كما عمل في مختلف أنحاء القطاع.
⭕️من أجل سلامتكم، أخلوا فورًا عبر محور الرشيد باتجاه المنطقة الإنسانية في… pic.twitter.com/XiNYwBhPOQ
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 9, 2025
Palestinians are instructed to head to the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Strip’s south via the coastal road.
“Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous,” Adraee says.
The announcement also provides a phone number for Palestinians to “report Hamas roadblocks or attempts by its members to prevent evacuation.”
The Times of Israel Community.