The Israeli military has warned more than a million residents of Gaza City to leave and migrate to the south within the next 24 hours as it stationed tanks close to the Gaza Strip amid concerns of a significant ground invasion on Friday.
"Now is a time for war," said Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as Israeli warplanes continued to bomb Gaza.
The military has issued a warning that it will be "significantly" active in Gaza City in the coming days and maintains that locals will not t be allowed to return "until the appropriate announcement is made".
The Israeli military had earlier issued a warning, which, as Palestinians expected, may lead to Israel's planned ground invasion, according to information provided to Reuters by the United Nations.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to the warning with any comments. However, following Hamas's campaign to liberate Gaza from Israel's decades-long rule, it gathered tanks close to the Gaza border and attacked the Palestinian territory with airstrikes.
According to Stephane Dujarric, a UN spokesperson, "the United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences."
The UN, she said, strongly urges that any such order be revoked if it is confirmed in order to prevent the potential of turning an already tragic situation into a catastrophic one.
According to Dujarric, the Israeli military's directive also applied to all UN employees and those seeking refuge in UN buildings, including hospitals, clinics, and schools.
Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN, however, appeared to indicate that a warning had been given when he said, "The UN's response to Israel's early warning to the residents of Gaza is shameful."
The UN, according to Erdan, ought to concentrate on denouncing Hamas and defending Israel's right to self-defense.
The head of the Hamas government's media office, Salama Marouf, claimed that Israel was using the relocation notice "to broadcast and spread fake propaganda, aiming to sow confusion among citizens and harm our internal cohesion."
He continued: "We urge our citizens not to engage in these attempts".
The ICRC regional director, Fabrizio Carboni, said, "The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent, and I implore the sides to lessen the suffering of civilians."
According to the authorities in Gaza, more than 1,500 Palestinians have died as a result of Israeli bombardment. The Palestinian Red Crescent stated that the four doctors who were slain by Israeli soldiers were purposefully killed.
Israel has so far imposed a stranglehold on Gaza, which is home to 2.3 million people, and begun a bombing campaign that has completely devastated entire communities.