Israel has repeated calls on Palestinian residents in the Gaza Strip to evacuate southwards with increased urgency.

In a video posted to social media on Sunday, Israel Defense Forces(IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that over the last two weeks, the Israeli military has been calling on residents of Gaza City and the northern half of the exclave to relocate southward temporarily.

The spokesperson said that relocating southward is for their personal safety, stressing that the evacuation call is very urgent.

The call is seen as a de facto ultimatum ahead of a large-scale operation in light of the expanded deployment of Israeli ground forces in Gaza since Friday.

Meanwhile, the IDF updated the number of people confirmed held hostage in Gaza since Hamas' surprise attack on October 7 in southern Israel to 239.