Israel warns civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate from area within 24 hours: 'For your safety'

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'FOX News @ Night' panelists James Carafano and Dov Waxman discuss an expected Israeli ground invasion of Gaza and reports the IDF has given Palestinians 24 hours to evacuate. 

Israel has warned the 1.1 million people living in the north of Gaza to evacuate the area within 24 hours as a "humanitarian step in order to minimize civilian casualties" ahead of the military's response to Hamas' terrorist attacks.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus shared the message he said was sent to citizens in Gaza on X, formerly Twitter, Friday morning.

"The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians from Gaza City from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and to move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza, the river Gaza, as shown on the map," Conricus said.

He explained that telling people to move south of the river makes the directions clear and understandable for everybody, regardless of if they have a map or not.

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Israeli tanks move near Gaza border as the army deploys military vehicles around the Gaza Strip. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Conricus said the evacuation order is for safety purposes, adding that civilians will not be able to return to Gaza City until another announcement clearing the area is made. He also said to not approach the area of the security fence with Israel.

Images later emerged of Palestinians within the Gaza Strip heading south. In one photo, two men could be seen riding on the hood of a car to flee the area.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are seen heading heading south after being warned by the Israel Defense Forces to leave the area.  (TPS)

The United Nations told The Associated Press it received a notice from Israel issuing the 24-hour evacuation warning, and Conricus confirmed communications with the UN.

A diplomatic source told Fox News' Trey Yingst that Hamas is preventing Palestinians from evacuating areas targeted for Israeli airstrikes. During a live report Friday morning, Yingst said a senior official with the terrorist group told him evacuation is "technically impossible."

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A family is seen packed with their belongings and heading south on Friday in the Gaza Strip. (TPS)

Hamas operates out of Gaza City in tunnels underneath homes and inside buildings populated with innocent civilians in efforts to use them as human shields.

"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 IDF said in a news release.

The IDF said it will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and will make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.

"There are civilians here who are not our enemy and we do not want to target them. We are asking them to evacuate so we will be able to continue to strike military targets belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip," Conricus said.

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As of Thursday night, more than 2,800 Israelis and Palestinians have been killed and at least 9,800 have been wounded since Hamas launched its attack on Israel on Saturday. The death toll is expected to rise as Israeli forces reportedly prepare for a ground invasion of Gaza.