Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson for Arab media Avichay Adraee urged the civilians residing in the northern part of the Gaza City to leave by 8 pm local time on Friday.
Initially, Israel informed Palestinians at midnight on Friday that they had a 24-hour window to evacuate. "If you are concerned about yourself and your loved ones, you should head south according to our instructions. Rest assured that Hamas leaders only care about protecting themselves," Adraee wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The United Nations strongly criticized Israel's evacuation order for the city, which is home to 1.1 million Palestinians.
