The Israeli army on Saturday told Palestinians in Gaza City to leave for the south before bombing a high-rise tower as its forces advance deeper into the enclave's largest urban area.
A military statement said the Israeli army designated the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza as "a humanitarian zone," and al-Rashid Street as "a humanitarian corridor," ahead of "the expansion of the ground offensive in Gaza City" under Operation Gideon's Chariots II.
The army called on Gazans to "seize the opportunity to move to the humanitarian zone early," which is a severely overcrowded area, with tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in dire humanitarian conditions.
The Israeli army has bombed Al-Mawasi multiple times over the course of the war and killed hundreds of civilians sheltering there, despite labeling it a "safe zone" previously.
Israeli forces have been carrying out an offensive on the suburbs of the northern city for weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to capture it.
Also on Saturday, Israeli army killed at least five more Palestinians and injured others in Gaza City, local media said.
According to the state news agency Wafa, the Israeli army targeted a house for a Palestinian family in the Shati refugee camp, western Gaza City, killing five and injuring others.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on the eastern areas of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
The military later bombed a high-rise Gaza City tower that it said was being used by Hamas, without providing evidence to support the assertion.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz shared a video on X of what appeared to be the multi-storey building collapsing after the strike, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army officially announced a new phase of the "Gideon's Chariots 2" assault, with the declared goal of occupying the entire city.
On Aug. 8, Israel's Security Cabinet approved a plan by Netanyahu to gradually reoccupy the Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City. The plan involves displacing around 1 million Palestinians southward, surrounding the city, and occupying it after intense attacks.
The genocide in Gaza entered day 700 on Friday, with Israel having killed at least 64,300 Palestinians. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
