IDF issues first evacuation orders for Gaza City, starts striking apartment towers used by Hamas as offensive ramps up
DM Katz: Israel is removing ‘the bolt from the gates of hell’ with intense air stirkes
The Israel Defense Forces issued the first targeted evacuation orders for residents of Gaza City on Friday, as the military further intensified airstrikes in the area in preparation for the planned capture of the city.
The first areas to receive evacuation notices were the surroundings of three large apartment blocks, which the IDF destroyed as part of a larger effort to dismantle Hamas infrastructure used as observation centers and sniper positions.
⭕️ In the coming days, the IDF will carry out precise strikes against Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza City:
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 5, 2025
The IDF has conducted extensive intelligence and identified significant Hamas terrorist activity within a wide variety of infrastructure sites in Gaza City.… pic.twitter.com/Ru9SR6QdNc
“The IDF has conducted extensive intelligence and identified significant Hamas terrorist activity within a wide variety of infrastructure sites in Gaza City,” the military said, listing camera stations, observation centers, sniper and anti-tank firing positions, as well as Command-and-Control Compounds, as targets.
“Underground tunnels running beneath buildings, Hamas exploits civilian infrastructure in Gaza, endangering the civilian population in Gaza. Numerous measures will be taken to minimize the risk of harming civilians as much as possible,” the IDF said.
Ahead of this operation, set to be carried out by airstrikes as the army continues recruiting thousands of reservists for a planned ground offensive, the IDF repeated its calls for Gaza’s population to evacuate.
“The IDF has launched an operation to eliminate Hamas in Gaza City… Take advantage of this opportunity to move to the humanitarian zone – and join the thousands who have already relocated there,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, told residents.
❗️ The IDF has designated a humanitarian area in Khan Yunis in light of the expansion of the ground operation in Gaza City
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) September 6, 2025
This area will include field hospitals, water pipelines and desalination facilities, as well as the continued supply of food, tents, medicines and medical… pic.twitter.com/U9ZVwcaAkN
On Saturday morning, Adraee also announced the expansion of the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, including “vital humanitarian infrastructure such as field hospitals, water pipelines, and water desalination facilities, alongside the continuous provision of food supplies, tents, medicines, and medical materials.”
In advance of the population’s movement south for its protection, thousands of tents and shelter equipment have entered Gaza today.
— COGAT (@cogatonline) September 4, 2025
Tens of thousands more tents are in the pipeline, and expected to enter Gaza in the coming days.
COGAT, together with international partners,… pic.twitter.com/UT4sgigs8V
The IDF’s coordination unit (COGAT) reported that “thousands of tents and shelter equipment have entered Gaza today. Tens of thousands more tents are in the pipeline and expected to enter Gaza in the coming days.”
On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF’s new operation meant “the bolt is removed from the gates of hell in Gaza.”
התחלנו pic.twitter.com/PVrtcVXddr
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) September 5, 2025
“The first evacuation notice is delivered to a multi-story terror building in the city of Gaza before an attack. When the door is opened, it will not be closed, and IDF activity will intensify – until the Hamas murderers and rapists accept Israel's conditions for ending the war, headed by the release of all the hostages and disarmament – or they will be destroyed,” he wrote on 𝕏.
Katz later shared footage of the destruction of the first apartment tower, commenting, “We have started.”
The IDF stated, “Hamas established infrastructure above and below the building, from which they would direct terrorist attacks against IDF troops in the area.”
On Saturday, two additional towers were demolished, with Defense Minister Israel Katz posting footage of one strike and remarking, “We are continuing.”
🎯 STRUCK: A high-rise building that was being used by the Hamas terrorist organization in the area of Gaza City.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 6, 2025
Hamas terrorists installed intelligence gathering equipment and positioned observation posts in the building in order to monitor the location of IDF troops in the… pic.twitter.com/uEAOBs2yBb
The IDF explained that, in this tower, Hamas terrorists had previously “installed intelligence gathering equipment and positioned observation posts in the building in order to monitor the location of IDF troops in the area. Hamas terrorists also planted numerous explosive devices near the building.”
The military also noted that steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians ahead of the strikes.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
