Israel tells Palestinians Gaza City evacuation is 'inevitable'

Israel has launched a new offensive on the besieged city, claiming it is one of the last remaining strongholds of Hamas.

In recent days, the Israeli Defence Force has bombarded the city’s outskirts with missile and tank fire.

Taking to X, the IDF's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said: "Evacuating Gaza City is inevitable, and therefore, every family that relocates to the south will receive the most abundant humanitarian aid that is currently being worked on".

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He went on to say Israel has "begun working on introducing tents and preparing areas to establish complexes for distributing humanitarian aid, laying water lines, and more".

Last week, the international body responsible for monitoring world hunger, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), officially stated that famine is taking place in the “Gaza Governorate”.

The area includes Gaza City, which is home to around 500,000 people, surrounding towns and various refugee camps.

British foreign secretary David Lammy described the situation in Gaza as a “moral outrage” as he slammed Israel’s refusal to allow aid into the besieged city.

Lammy called on the Israeli government to "immediately act to stop the situation deteriorating any further".

He described famine in Gaza City as "utterly horrifying and is wholly preventable".

"The Israeli government's refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made catastrophe. This is a moral outrage," he added.

"The IPC report makes clear the sickening consequences, especially for children. The Government of Israel can and must immediately act to stop the situation deteriorating any further".

He called for an "immediate ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas, which has long been the position of the British government.

"This includes halting the military operation in Gaza City, which is the epicentre of the famine," he added.