The Israeli government has ordered thousands of residents in Gaza City to evacuate the area, as the military appears to be preparing for a full-scale invasion of the largest city in northern Gaza.

Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Force, announced the directive in a social media post on Tuesday, urging residents to flee Gaza City while adding that the Army is set to begin military operations in the area.

“An urgent message to the residents of Gaza City from the Old City and Al-Tuffah in the east to sea in the west: For your safety, move immediately towards Al-Mawasi via Al-Rashid Street,” Mr Adraee posted on X.

He added, “Staying in the city is extremely dangerous. The Defense Army will act with great force in the area. Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous.”

The decision by the Israeli government came after Israel and Hamas failed to make progress in the indirect ceasefire negotiations over disagreements between the two sides on how the war should end.

According to the New York Times, the order will force the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza City, with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warning that further military operations in the region would be “catastrophic” for civilians.

Earlier this month, the world’s leading genocide experts, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, passed a resolution that Israel’s conduct in Gaza meets the legal definition as laid out in the United Nations Convention on Genocide.