Israel says north Gaza shelters 'not safe' in new evacuation warning

Israel has again warned Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south of the besieged and bombarded territory, saying time was running out and that shelters there were not safe.

The Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted a picture to social media platform X of a printed sheet with "urgent warning" written in red at the top.

The page is similar to fliers the army has previously dropped over Gaza and was addressed to residents of the besieged enclave.

"Gaza Governorate has become a battlefield," it read. "Shelters in the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza Governorate are not safe.

"You must evacuate immediately and head to the areas south of Wadi Gaza," the warning added, referring to a valley that runs across the enclave.

An urgent message for the residents of Gaza: pic.twitter.com/GAW3a7lWt8

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 28, 2023

The warning did not specify which shelters it was referring to. But following the outbreak of war earlier this month, many Palestinians across Gaza sought refuge at sites belonging to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.

Israel's indiscriminate strikes on the Gaza Strip have so far killed at least 7,703 Palestinians and targeted homes, hospitals, schools, and places of worship.

Its calls for the 1.1 million Palestinians living in the north of the territory have led to fears of ethnic cleansing and a "second Nakba".

The United Nations said last week that Israeli forces had told internally displaced people in five of the agency's shelters in Gaza City, which is located in Gaza Governorate, to evacuate.

It added that UNRWA had informed these people it was no longer responsible for managing the sites in question. It was not clear how many, if any, now remain.

The Israeli military first ordered the residents of northern Gaza, normally home to more than a million people, to evacuate south of Wadi Gaza on 13 October. The UN called for the order to be rescinded.

The army published a video to X on Saturday in which spokesperson Daniel Hagari delivered an "urgent military advisory" in English.

It comes as Israel cut off communications to the Gaza Strip on Friday, leading human rights groups to warn of further atrocities. Israel also intensified its strikes and announced it was expanding ground operations.

"For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate south," Hagari said.

"Moving back to northern Gaza will be possible once the intense hostilities end."

But despite Hagari's claim relocation will be temporary, many Palestinians will be wary of evacuating, fearing that they will be forced into Egypt without the possibility of return.

"To the residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City, your window to act is closing," Hagari added in the video.

"Move south. For your own safety, move south. This is not a mere precaution. It is an urgent plea for the safety of the civilians in Gaza."

Following criticism about the message being delivered in English and amid the communications blackout in Gaza, the military wrote on X that it had said the same thing "countless times for over two weeks".