The Israeli army, on the eve of a major offensive, has called on residents in Gaza City to evacuate. The coastal Al-Mawasi area is supposed to serve as a safe zone – but according to the UN, it is overcrowded.
An Israeli military spokesman called on people in the coastal Al-Mawasi area to seek protection. "We will immediately declare the Al-Mawasi area a humanitarian zone," said an Israeli military statement published in Arabic on social media.
The announcement is addressed to "all Gaza residents who are here." The Al-Mawas neighborhood near Khan Yunis has the necessary infrastructure for field hospitals, water lines and water desalination plants, the army spokesman noted on Platform X.
Aid is also being sent to this area. Aid will continue uninterrupted together with the UN and international organizations, in parallel with the expansion of the military action, it further states.
UN warns: Protected area overcrowded
The area declared by the Israeli army as a protected zone is already overcrowded. According to UN data, in June 2025, 425,000 people were living in an area of nine square kilometers. They live in large tent camps. UN organizations describe the situation with hygiene and sanitation facilities and waste collection as inadequate. Even the capacities of the camp's outpatient clinics are insufficient for the large number of people.
Israel declared Al-Mawasi a safe zone at the beginning of the war, which was sparked by the massacre by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7, 2023. Despite this, the army has continued to carry out airstrikes in the area since then. The army says that it is targeting Hamas terrorists hiding among the civilian population.
Tall building destroyed in Gaza attack
The Israeli army on Saturday (06.09.2025) through a pre-warned air strike destroyed a 15-story building in Gaza. According to the Israeli army, "Hamas terrorists" had installed equipment and observation posts in this building, "to monitor Israeli troops." Defense Minister Israel Katz published a video on the X platform, writing: "We will continue."
Netanyahu: Offensive on Gaza City Necessary
Israeli forces launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip's northern outskirts a week ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers the largest city in the coastal Gaza Strip to be Hamas' last bastion. Taking the city is essential to defeating the radical Islamic terrorist organization.
Hundreds of thousands threatened with deportation
According to Israeli figures, the army controls almost half of Gaza. In total, about 75 percent of the Gaza Strip is under Israeli control. In the wake of the offensive, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have found protection here could be expelled. Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip are increasingly being criticized by many countries around the world. But even in Israel, voices of protest are growing to end the war with an agreement that guarantees the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. (DW)
