The IDF on Sunday ordered mass evacuations across northern Gaza ahead of an intensified assault against Hamas, even as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up public pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lock down a ceasefire deal.

The evacuation directive, issued in Arabic posts and in text messages sent directly to Palestinian phones, covers the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts — neighborhoods that had already been designated as no-go zones weeks ago. Residents were told to head toward the Mawasi area in southern Gaza, a narrow coastal zone where tens of thousands have already sought refuge.

“The IDF is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations,” IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee posted on X, warning civilians that Hamas was “bringing a disaster upon you” and urging them not to return to what he called “dangerous combat zones.”

The stepped-up warnings come as Netanyahu convenes top security officials Sunday for a progress briefing on the military campaign. According to a senior security source, commanders will tell the prime minister they are nearing key objectives but caution that further expanding the fighting could jeopardize the fate of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Arab mediators from Egypt and Qatar, working with U.S. officials, are once again pushing to restart stalled ceasefire talks, seeking to end the 20-month conflict and secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages.

Trump, for his part, has gone on the offensive, posting early Sunday on Truth Social: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!! DJT,” while also repeating calls for Israeli prosecutors to drop Netanyahu’s corruption trial, arguing the prime minister’s legal troubles should not derail a hostage deal.

A Hamas official told Reuters the group had relayed to mediators its willingness to return to negotiations but stood firm on its core demand: any ceasefire must include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a full end to the war.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)