Israel orders evacuation of Gaza City as Trump says U.S. in 'deep negotiations' with Hamas

The Israeli military has ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to a designated “humanitarian zone” as its forces intensify a major offensive.

The Israeli military has ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to a designated “humanitarian zone” as its forces press deeper into the city, intensifying a major offensive aimed at seizing control of the area.

The announcement came after President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. was in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas, who had earlier released a video showing two Israeli hostages seized from a music festival during the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks.

Addressing residents on X Saturday, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged civilians to move from Gaza City in the north to the Al-Mawasi safe zone, a coastal area in the southern city of Khan Younis. There, he said, they would find “food supplies, tents, medicines, and medical materials.”

In a separate post, he pressed “residents of Gaza” to leave early “and join the thousands who have already relocated there in the past days and weeks.”

The IDF have been carrying out heavy strikes on Gaza City for weeks, advancing through northern suburbs to within a few miles of its center.