Israel orders evacuations in Gaza City amid military operations

JERUSALEM, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday issued an urgent evacuation order for residents in several neighborhoods of eastern Gaza City as military operations intensified in the area.

In a message posted on social media X, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee called on civilians to move westward for their safety.

"The IDF is working intensively in your areas to destroy terrorist infrastructure," he wrote. "For your safety, you must evacuate immediately to the known shelter centers in western Gaza City."

Meanwhile, the IDF said in a statement that it had killed Hamas militant Ahmad Iyad Muhammad Farhat during a recent operation in Tel al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

According to the IDF, Farhat was the head of sniper operations for Hamas' Tel al-Sultan Battalion and was responsible for organizing and carrying out attacks on Israeli forces.

The IDF also reported additional operations since Thursday across the southern and northern Gaza Strip, in which several Hamas militants were killed.

The military added that it had dismantled Hamas' military infrastructure and neutralized booby-trapped buildings during these efforts.