Tel Aviv: Tanks and artillery of Israeli defence forces have started moving in southern Israel and maintaining positions near norther Gaza for a possible ground assault on Hamas.

Hamas official dismissed the evacuation warning as “fake propaganda”

As Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, it urged more than 1 million civilians to move south within a day. This comes after Hamas militants launched a deadly attack that killed over 1,300 Israelis, mostly civilians.

Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said it was time for war and Israeli jets kept bombing Gaza in response. The Israeli military said it would target Gaza City heavily in the next few days and civilians should stay away until told otherwise. More than 1,500 Palestinians have died in the Israeli strikes.

The military said: “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.” “Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians.”

A Hamas official dismissed the evacuation warning as “fake propaganda” and told people not to believe it. The United Nations said such a mass displacement of people was impossible “without devastating humanitarian consequences.” Israel’s U.N. envoy Gilad Erdan called the U.N.’s reaction to Israel’s warning to the Gazans “shameful”. Israel has sworn to destroy the Hamas militant group that started the attacks on Saturday.

The Israeli military said it hit 750 military sites in north Gaza overnight, including Hamas tunnels, bases, homes of leaders and weapons depots. A ground invasion of the crowded and besieged Gaza Strip, where 2.3 million people live, is very risky, as Hamas has taken many hostages in the attack.