Netanyahu tells Gaza City residents to leave as he pledges retaliation for Jerusalem attack

The warning came just hours after two gunmen opened fire at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing six people. Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Thousands of leaflets ordering residents to immediately leave famine-stricken Gaza City rained down on its streets Tuesday as Israel pushed ahead with plans to drive all Palestinians from the area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of an "intensified ground maneuver" Monday evening, and ordered residents of Gaza's largest city to leave just hours after two gunmen opened fire at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing six people.

Hamas hailed the attack, the deadliest in Israel since October 2024, as “heroic” and claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, right, at the scene of a shooting in Jerusalem on Monday.Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty ImagesNetanyahu said the elimination of the gunmen or their supporters was “not enough.”

"My directive is to strike hard against terror strongholds," he said after visiting the scene of the shooting with Israel's far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.