Israel issues evacuation order for several areas in Gaza ahead of attack

The Israeli army on Sunday issued an evacuation order for several areas in Gaza ahead of what it said was an imminent attack.

Addressing Gazans "in the Al Qarara area, the Salqa municipality, and the south of Deir Al Balah, and the neighbourhoods of Al Ja'farawi, Al Suwar, Abu Hadab, and Al Satar," the army said: "This is a preliminary and final warning before the attack... For your safety, you must move immediately west to the known shelters in Al Mawasi."

Earlier, the Israeli military said it had begun "extensive ground operations" in northern and southern Gaza, stepping up its campaign in the enclave, where Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes killed at least 130 people overnight.

Israeli soldiers work on tanks at a staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Sunday. AP

Israel made its announcement after sources on both sides said there had been no progress in a new round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar.

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Beit Lahyia amid ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip arrive in Jabalia. AP

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the talks included discussions on a truce and hostage deal as well as a proposal to end the war in return for the exile of Hamas leaders and the demilitarisation of the enclave — terms Hamas has previously rejected.

The statement was in line with previous declarations from Israel, but the timing, as negotiators meet, offered some prospect of flexibility in Israel's position.

Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, at Al Shifa Hospital. Reuters

A senior Israeli official said there had been no progress in the talks so far.

The Israeli military suggested in a later statement that it could still scale down operations to help reach a deal in Doha.

Military chief Eyal Zamir told troops in Gaza that the army would provide the country's leaders with the flexibility they needed to reach a hostage deal, according to the statement.

Agencies