The Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza on Sunday ahead of intensified fighting against Hamas, as US President Donald Trump called for Israel to “make the deal in Gaza” amid renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire and end the war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to hold talks later in the day on the progress of Israel’s offensive. A senior security official said the military will tell him the campaign is close to reaching its objectives, and warn that expanding fighting to new areas in Gaza may endanger the remaining Israeli hostages.

But in a statement posted on X and text messages sent to many residents, the military reissued a wide evacuation warning for Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip.

The area had already been ordered to evacuate on May 29 and has been part of a no-go zone since.

Civilians on Sunday were instructed to head for the Mawasi area on the coast in Gaza’s south.

“The IDF is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations,” said the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee in a post on X.

“Hamas is bringing a disaster upon you. Returning to dangerous combat zones poses a danger to your lives,” he added.

The evacuation order covered the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts.........

© The Times of Israel