Israel has issued its first formal evacuation notice to residents of a multi-story building in Gaza City ahead of an impending strike, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced Friday, declaring that the military campaign will only intensify until Hamas agrees to Israel’s terms for a ceasefire.

“The bolt is now being removed from the gates of Hell in Gaza,” Katz wrote on X. “Once the door is opened, it will not be closed, and IDF operations will intensify — until Hamas’s murderers and rapists accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war, first and foremost the release of all hostages and disarmament — or be destroyed.”

The statement comes as the IDF prepares to expand its ground offensive into Gaza City as part of a “decisive phase” aimed at dismantling Hamas’s remaining strongholds.

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Thursday that Israeli forces already control about 40 percent of the city and are preparing to push deeper in the coming days. Military officials confirmed that forthcoming operations will include targeted strikes against multi-story buildings that have been converted into Hamas military infrastructure.

On Friday, Gaza media outlets reported that Israeli aircraft struck the Al-Mushtaha tower three times after residents were ordered to evacuate. Footage from the scene showed thick plumes of smoke billowing over the neighborhood. The IDF has not commented on whether casualties were reported.

According to the military, intelligence indicates that Hamas has embedded sniper nests, anti-tank positions, command centers, and surveillance systems inside residential towers, while planting explosives around them to ambush advancing troops. The group’s tunnel networks are also believed to run beneath and around these high-rise structures.

“These sites pose a direct threat to our troops,” the IDF said in a statement. “They will be struck soon.”

The military pledged that precision strikes and prior warnings would be used in an effort to minimize civilian casualties, while again accusing Hamas of deliberately using Gaza’s civilian population as human shields.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)