The Israeli military announced on Thursday evening that some 600,000 Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave's south within the next 24 hours.
This, according to Reuters and confirmed by military sources, is ahead of an expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Sources have told the Jerusalem Post multiple times this week that the counter-ground invasion would start sometime on or after Saturday, October 14.
"The IDF calls on all residents of Gaza City to evacuate their homes, move south for their protection, and settle in the area south of the Gaza River," the IDF statement read.
"This evacuation is for your personal safety. It will be possible to return to Gaza City after a notification confirming [safety]. Do not approach the border fence with the State of Israel."
"Residents of Gaza: Move south for your personal safety and the safety of your families. Distance yourself from the Hamas terrorists, who are using you as a human shield."
Despite the many off-record signals, in public the IDF has been silent about the exact timing of its ground invasion.
United Nations response to the warning
UN officials in Gaza "were informed by their liaison officers in the Israeli military that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement in New York.
"The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," Dujarric.
"The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation," he said.
Dujarric said the order by the Israeli military also applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities, including schools, health centers, and clinics.
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said it relocated its central operations center and international staff to Gaza's south to continue its humanitarian operations and support its staff and Palestinian refugees.
"We urge the Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians in UNRWA shelters including schools," the agency said on social media platform X.
Israeli, Hamas reaction to the IDF statement
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said: "The UN's response to Israel's early warning to the residents of Gaza is shameful."
Erdan said the UN should focus on condemning Hamas and supporting Israel's right to self-defense.
Salama Marouf, head of the Hamas government media office, said the relocation warning was an attempt by Israel "to broadcast and pass on fake propaganda, aiming to sow confusion among citizens and harm our internal cohesion."
He added: "We urge our citizens not to engage in these attempts."
Jordan's King Abdullah warns against 'spillover' of Palestinians
Jordan's King Abdullah on Friday warned Israel against any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians, even internally, after Israel's directive to Gazans to relocate to the southern part of the enclave.
In a statement published by the Royal Court's account on social media platform X, he said there should be no 'spillover' of the ongoing crisis into neighboring countries.
Turkey says Israel's call for Gazans to move south 'completely unacceptable'
Turkey said on Friday that Israel's call for Gazans to move south in 24 hours ahead of its planned ground offensive was "completely unacceptable," inhumane and a violation of international law.
"Forcing the 2.5 million people of Gaza - who have been subjected to indiscriminate bombing for days and who have been deprived of electricity, water and food - to migrate in an extremely limited area is a clear violation of international law and has no place in humanity," Turkey's foreign ministry said.
"We expect Israel to immediately reverse this grave mistake and urgently halt its merciless...acts against civilians in Gaza," it said in a statement.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.