IDF issues evacuation order for Gaza’s second-largest city, warning of ‘unprecedented attack’

The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order for residents of Gaza’s second-largest city, warning of an “unprecedented attack” in the area.

The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order for residents of Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, warning of an “unprecedented attack” in the area.

The order was shared on social media platform X by military Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee, alerting that the warning also applied to nearby towns Bani Suhaila and Abasan.

Civilians have been instructed to move west toward the coastal area of al-Mawasi.

“From this moment, Khan Younis will be considered a dangerous combat zone,” the message read.

Early reports from the area claim countless families are in a panic, scrambling to gather what they can from their homes to move to al-Mawasi.

A makeshift tent was hit in al-Mawasi in the past hour following the announcement, killing two civilians, according to medical reports out of Gaza

Smoke rises following an Israeli army bombardment in Khan Younis, Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Palestinians struggle to receive cooked food distributed at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The announcement follows a similar displacement directive issued on Monday for parts of central Gaza, including al-Qarara in southern Deir el-Balah.

It came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel will “take control” of the whole of Gaza, as the military pressed a newly intensified campaign in the war-ravaged territory.

After Israel announced it would let a “basic amount” of food into the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said it was necessary to prevent a famine for “diplomatic reasons”.

In Gaza, rescuers said air strikes killed at least 22 people, after the military announced it had begun “extensive ground operations” against Hamas.

“The fighting is intense and we are making progress. We will take control of all the territory of the Strip,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on Telegram.

“We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped.” Israel has come under mounting international pressure, including from key backer the United States, to lift a total blockade it imposed on Gaza more than two months ago.

“We must not let the population (of Gaza) sink into famine, both for practical and diplomatic reasons,” Netanyahu said, adding that even friends of Israel would not tolerate “images of mass starvation”.

In a report this month, the UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said Gaza was at “critical risk of famine”, with 22 per cent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian “catastrophe”.