Israeli officials: Hamas preventing mass evacuation of Gaza City for propaganda reasons, but tens of thousands have left

As the IDF prepares to expand its ground operations into Gaza City, Israeli officials say Hamas is preventing civilians from evacuating south, using them as human shields while amplifying claims of “forced displacement” to sway international opinion.

Defense officials estimate that 70,000 to 80,000 residents have fled Gaza City, most of them in the past 72 hours, even before an official evacuation order. Over the weekend, the number stood at about 10,000 out of the city’s estimated one million residents. Officials expect departures to continue as the IDF presses its campaign.

“The Hamas terror organization is doing everything it can to block the population’s movement southward in order to use civilians as human shields and for propaganda purposes,” one security official says. “In practice, the public’s barrier of fear has been broken, and tens of thousands of residents have managed to bypass Hamas checkpoints and evacuate the city.”

Meanwhile, the IDF releases a recording said to depict a Gaza City resident telling a Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) officer that Hamas is preventing civilians from moving south.

“We want to go south but Hamas is blocking the way,” the resident is heard saying. “They tell people: go back home, there is no evacuation, go back, go back — and people scatter.”

He adds that many residents are fearful, with some attempting to take side streets and alternative routes. According to his testimony, Hamas operatives are stationed along the seashore near al-Nabulsi junction in western Gaza City and other areas, blocking main roads.

The IDF says the testimony highlights Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields to deter military operations.

Israel says it is scaling up humanitarian infrastructure in southern Gaza, particularly in the al-Mawasi coastal area, in coordination with the UN, the US and regional partners. The zone is intended to accommodate up to two million people, with expanded deliveries of food, medicine and shelter supplies, as well as repairs to water and health facilities.

Hamas has rejected the evacuation plan as “forced displacement.” Its media office accused Israel of spreading “lies and misleading maps” and warned that designated humanitarian zones, including al-Mawasi and refugee camps in central Gaza, are already overcrowded and unsafe. Hamas-run outlets, including the al-Haras channel, have echoed the claims, asserting that no area in southern Gaza can be considered safe.