The Israeli military has warned it will operate with “unprecedented force” in Gaza City, urging residents to flee southwards while announcing the closure of a temporary evacuation route opened 48 hours earlier, AFP reports.

In a post on X addressing residents of Gaza City, the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said: “From this moment, Salah al-Din Road is closed for southbound travel. The Israeli Defence Forces will continue to operate with unprecedented force against Hamas and other terrorist organisations.”

He added that the only possible route south was via Al-Rashid street and urged residents to “take this opportunity and join the hundreds of thousands of city residents who have moved south to the humanitarian area”.