The Israeli military has said it is "operating with great force on the outskirts of Gaza City" as it confirmed that the initial stages of its attack on the Palestinian territory's largest city is under way.
Earlier, the military said it a statement that "the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone," referring to daily pauses in certain areas aimed at facilitating aid distribution.
The military did not call for the population to evacuate immediately, but the army's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said on Wednesday that the city's evacuation was "inevitable".
The UN estimates that nearly a million people currently live in Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City and its surroundings in the north of the territory.
Photos from the centre of the territory showed people fleeing south in vans and cars piled high with mattresses, chairs and bags.
Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed last week to destroy Gaza City if Hamas did not agree to end the war on Israel's terms.
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His ministry had previously approved the military's plan to seize the city and authorised the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists.
In its statement, the military said it "will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing manoeuvering and offensive operations against terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip".
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the body of hostage Ilan Weiss has been recovered from Gaza.
The body of a second individual, whose identity has not yet been cleared for publication, was also retrieved, the statement added.
Mr Weiss was killed and abducted from kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel during Hamas's attack on 7 October 2023.
His wife Shiri and daughter Noga, kidnapped at their home, were released in November 2023, during the first truce.
"Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their deep sorrow," said a statement from Mr Netanyahu's office.
"The campaign to return the hostages is ongoing. We will neither rest nor be silent until we bring all of our hostages back home, the living and the deceased," it added.
Out of 251 hostages seized during Hamas's assault, 47 are still held in Gaza, with around 20 of them believed to be alive.
At least 40 people were killed by Israeli forces across the Palestinian territory today, Gaza's civil defence agency said.
The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,966 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.
Accreditation: AFP
