The Israeli army announced that it has begun preliminary operations and the initial attack on Gaza City after declaring the city a "dangerous combat zone".
The announcement comes as Israel killed dozens of people in its attacks on the Gaza Strip on Friday morning as Palestinians continue to flee from Gaza City ahead of the Israeli ground assault.
Israeli bombs killed five people in the al-Mawasi area, previously designated a safe zone by Israel, as well as another five in the Tel-al Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City, with Al Jazeera reporting that in total 30 people have been killed since dawn.
Israel's continued attacks came as far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to annex parts of Gaza as a pressure tactic against Hamas if it doesn't disarm. Smotrich has previously threatened to annex the occupied West Bank.
In the West Bank, Israeli fire injured a Palestinian man in the town of Salem, east of Nablus. Israeli forces had been accompanying settlers who had attacked the town.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed 62,966 Palestinians, and wounded a further 159,266 others since October 2023.