Amid war with Hamas, Israel amass troops along Gaza border

TEL AVIV: Israeli defence forces armed with tanks are positioning themselves on the country's southern border with Gaza after the Israeli military on Friday called for the evacuation of all civilians from Gaza City.

The Israeli Defence Forces has asked civilians to relocate from their homes and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza for their own safety. The IDF stated that citizens should return only when advised to do so. It also asked citizens to not approach the area on the security fence with Israel.

In a statement shared on X, IDF stated, "The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians of Gaza City from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza, as shown on the map. The Hamas terrorist organization waged a war against the State of Israel and Gaza City is an area where military operations take place. This evacuation is for your own safety."

"Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," the military said. "

Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians," it said.

The Israeli Defence Forces asserted that in the following day they will continue to operate with significant force in Gaza and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.

Meanwhile, Hamas has dismissed Israel's orders for Palestinians to evacuate the northern half of the Gaza Strip and asked the residents to stay put, the Times of Israel said.

At least 1,537 Palestinians have been killed and 6,612 others injured in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, CNN reported citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

At least 36 people have died and more than 650 have been injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.

United Nations Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that more than 338,000 Palestinians have been displaced due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, CNN reported. He further said that nearly 218,000 of those are sheltering in 92 schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that the death toll from the Hamas terror attacks on Israel has jumped to 1,300 and more than 3000 have been injured.

He also touched on the ongoing efforts to collect the bodies and bring them to Tel Aviv for identification before handing them over to their loved ones. Calling it a "tedious and detailed process", he noted that Israel has never in history faced such a situation.

"Unfortunately the number of Israeli casualties has risen to 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers and more than 3000 wounded. There is a massive national effort involving almost all of the security organisations and many of the ministries of the Israeli state, which is focused on taking the bodies from the same communities that we spoke about yesterday, like for instance ... and other communities and the entire southern area, collecting the bodies, bringing them to a centre in Tel Aviv, identifying them and then making sure they are next to their kin. Their loved ones are able to take them and to provide them with a final and respectable burial that's ongoing," Lt. Col. Conricus said. "

It is a tedious and long and detailed process, taking lots of resources. We have never, ever in our history been forced to deal with such a situation and it is ongoing. It will take days and as we match and identify more and more of the Israeli bodies that are uncovered in the communities, we will have more information about missing persons," he added.