PALESTINIANS have begun fleeing parts of Gaza City after Israel began the first stages of a planned assault.
Israel's troops have established a foothold on the outskirts of the city after days of intense bombing and artillery fire.
Hundreds of Palestinians in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City have left towards the north-western part of the city.
The ground offensive has prompted UN Secretary General António Guterres to renew calls for an immediate ceasefire "to avoid the death and destruction" an assault would "inevitably cause".
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is "shortening the timelines" for seizing what he described as "the last terror strongholds" in Gaza.
An Israeli military spokesman said on Wednesday that troops were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas to lay the groundwork for the offensive, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and which will be put to the security cabinet later this week.
In a statement, Hamas accused the Israeli leader of continuing a "brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City" and criticised what it said was his "disregard" for a new ceasefire proposal from regional mediators. Israel has yet to formally respond to the plan.
About 60,000 Israeli reservists are being called up for the beginning of September to free up active-duty personnel for the operation.
The plan also includes extending the service of 20,000 additional reservists who are already on active duty.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered to evacuate and head to southern Gaza.
Since October 7 2023, 62,004 Palestinians have been killed and 156,230 wounded by the Israeli military.
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Israel's plan "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war".
The International Committee of the Red Cross also said further displacement and an intensification of hostilities "risk worsening an already catastrophic situation" for Gaza's 2.1 million population.
Last week, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would approve plans for a project titled E1, which would see 3000 homes built in order to connect occupied territories in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The move would effectively “bury” any plans from Western governments to recognise a Palestinian state, which the UK Government said it would do by late September if Israel does not take “substantive steps” to end the brutality in Gaza.
