200,000 Gazans evacuate toward south as Israeli Air Force bombs 360 Hamas targets

The Israeli military estimates that over 200,000 residents of Gaza City have fled south so far, after the Israeli Air Force intensified its strikes against Hamas targets ahead of the planned operation to take over the city.

Thousands continued to flee throughout the night, Israeli media reported, following continuous calls by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to Gazan civilians to evacuate the city.

“We are moving forward toward the next stages in the mission of dismantling the Hamas regime - this is our objective,” said IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir during a commanders’ meeting ahead of the planned “Gideon’s Chariots II” operation.

“We are going to bring down this regime, and nothing will stop us from accomplishing this mission,” he emphasized.

The military said that the Population Warning Department of the Southern Command and Unit 504 started a new campaign on Tuesday to warn the civilian population through drops of leaflets, as well as sending voice and text messages, and conducting phone calls.

🔈The IDF has begun an effort to warn the civilian population in Gaza City.

The IDF is employing a variety of operational tools including:

▪️ Distribution of voice messages
▪️ Dropping of leaflets
▪️ Sending text messages
▪️ Conducting phone calls
All with the goal of… pic.twitter.com/FxH8pLvPXV

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 10, 2025

According to the IDF, the leaflets read: “To all residents and people present in Gaza City and all its neighborhoods, from the Old City and Tuffah in the east to the sea in the west, the IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in the Gaza City area with great force, as it has operated throughout the Gaza Strip.”

“For your safety, evacuate immediately via the Al-Rashid corridor to the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. Remaining in the area is very dangerous. Attached is a phone number to report blockages and attempts by Hamas to prevent evacuation.”

As part of these preparations, the IDF has also been ramping up humanitarian efforts, with a focus on the southern end of the Gaza Strip, to encourage Gazans to flee there.

Part of this is the construction of two new distribution centers for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the area of Rafah.

September 10 humanitarian efforts:

🚛Close to 170 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.

🛻310 humanitarian aid trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations. The contents of hundreds of trucks are… pic.twitter.com/juaUk5MKgG

— COGAT (@cogatonline) September 11, 2025

The new centers are designed to be “as safe as possible, as short of a distance as possible, for the trucks, and for the people coming in,” Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani told The Times of Israel.

On Wednesday, COGAT said that almost 170 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza, while 310 humanitarian aid trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations inside the enclave.

“Tankers of UN fuel entered for the operation of essential humanitarian systems. A humanitarian personnel rotation coordination has been successfully completed. Over 250 patients and caregivers, mostly children, exited Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Allenby Bridge Crossing for treatment in a third country,” COGAT stated.

In his comments, IDF chief Zamir emphasized: “Before us stand two goals: the release of the hostages, this is a moral mission, of utmost importance, critical and essential, and alongside it, the mission of dismantling Hamas. These are the missions of our generation.”

“We have already been at war for nearly two years, and we are now in its decisive stages. We are shaping a reality that will endure for generations; that is how we must view it.”

The military stated Wednesday that it struck over 360 terror targets in three waves throughout the Gaza Strip since last Friday.

“The IDF began striking high-rise structures that had been converted into terrorist infrastructure, including cameras, observation command centers, sniper and anti-tank firing positions, and command-and-control compounds. So far, several high-rise structures that posed a direct threat to IDF troops have been targeted in precision strikes,” the military said.

The strikes particularly focused on the Daraj Tuffah and al-Furqan areas, destroying observation and sniper positions, hidden gathering points, operational tunnel shafts, and other infrastructure that could serve Hamas in fighting off the Israeli offensive.

“In the coming days, the IDF will increase the pace of targeted strikes, based on precise intelligence, with the aim of dismantling Hamas' terrorist infrastructure, disrupting its operational readiness, and reducing the threat to IDF troops as part of the preparations for the next stages of the operation.”

According to Army Radio, Hamas has been busy preparing for the looming offensive and has decided to appoint a new commander for the Gaza City Brigade, which had been led by the current senior military leader of Hamas in Gaza, Izz al-Din al-Haddad.

“According to Israeli security sources, the new brigade commander is Muhannad Rajab, a figure who has remained in the shadows until now,” wrote military correspondent Doron Kadosh.

“This move by Hamas may indicate an attempt to establish an organized command and control structure – from brigade commander down to field cells – to lead guerrilla and terror operations against Israeli forces maneuvering in the area,” he added.