- The Israel Defense Forces issued an "urgent warning" to residents of Gaza on Saturday.
- In a video posted on X, the IDF said civilians should evacuate northern Gaza and Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces issued an "urgent plea" to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, urging them in a video — not accessible in the territory — to head south immediately ahead of a likely ground offensive.
"Attention, citizens of Gaza. Listen carefully. This is an urgent military advisory from the Israel Defense Forces," an IDF spokesperson said in the video. "For your immediate safety, we urge all residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate south."
Residents will be able to return once hostilities cease, the spokesperson said.
The warning is not new. For weeks, Israeli officials have been telling residents of Gaza to head south as it bombards the Palestinian territory, sending text messages and dropping pamphlets to that effect ahead of a planned ground invasion. Israel has said it seeks to eliminate Hamas following its Oct. 7 rampage, which killed more than 1,400 people in southern Israel.
Residents of Gaza have told Insider that nowhere is safe from Israeli bombing, however. And Saturday's warning — posted on X, formerly known as Twitter — appears to have been intended for international consumption, not for the residents of Gaza, coming amid criticism from Palestinians and others in the international community that Israel's assault on the territory of 2 million people amounts to collective punishment.
The Gaza Strip has been without internet and cellphone service since Friday. Insider's messages to Gaza residents on Saturday were not delivered.
Responding to criticism of its video, the IDF on Saturday noted that it has also dropped "paper pamphlets across Gaza" urging civilians to evacuate areas with Hamas militants.