The Israeli military ordered a full evacuation of Gaza City on Tuesday ahead of its planned offensive in the enclave’s northern region.

Avichay Adraee, an Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), addressed all residents of the city, telling them on Tuesday morning to “evacuate immediately,” as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) look to wipe out Hamas fighters in the area. 

The evacuation orders also come as the Israeli military has bombarded and blown up high-rise buildings in Gaza City in recent days, arguing that the Palestinian militant group, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, has utilized them for military purposes. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that the Israeli Air Force took out 50 high-rises in Gaza. 

“Now, all of this is only the introduction, only the beginning of the main intensive operation – the ground incursion of our forces, that are now getting organized and gathering, into Gaza City,” Netanyahu said. “Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to say to the residents of Gaza, listen to me carefully: You have been warned; Get out of there.’” 

Gaza City, which had around 1 million residents before the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, is one of the last remaining strongholds for the militant group, Israeli officials argued. 

The officials have instructed residents to go south to a “humanitarian area," where thousands of Palestinians are already living in tents. The evacuation orders also come as the talks regarding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appear to be stalled again. 

In late August, the Israeli military called up thousands of reservists before the expanded military incursion into Gaza City. 

At the time, an Israeli military official said that the IDF would be conducting a “gradual, precise and targeted” operation in and around Gaza City “which currently serves as Hamas’s main military and governing stronghold.”