Israeli forces near the border with the southern Gaza Strip on November 16.
Reuters reported on November 16 that Israel asked residents of the Gaza Strip to leave four areas in the south, raising concerns that the war with Hamas could spread.
In northern Gaza, Israel said its forces remained present at the largest hospital, Al Shifa, but did not provide further details of the operation since storming it on November 15, after days of siege.
Leaflets dropped overnight from planes urged people to leave the towns of Shuhaila, Khuzaa, Abassan and Qarara on the eastern edge of Khan Younis, the main city in the southern Gaza Strip. The four towns have a combined population of more than 100,000 but are now home to tens of thousands more displaced from elsewhere.
"Hamas' actions require the defense forces to act against them in the area where you reside. For your safety, you need to evacuate your residence immediately and go to known shelters," the leaflet reads.
Many said the area had been heavily bombarded overnight. Israel had earlier ordered the evacuation of all of northern Gaza before sending in ground forces.
The United Nations says about two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been made homeless, most of them in southern towns, since Israel began retaliating against Hamas for an attack that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israeli towns on 7 October.
Israel's retaliation has so far left at least 11,500 people dead and 29,800 injured, according to Anadolu Agency.
In another development, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on November 16 that it had "taken operational control" of the wharf in Gaza City, the center of the fishing fleet there.
In a statement, the IDF also said that the port had been a training base for Hamas militants. The IDF destroyed 10 tunnels during the operation.
European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for calm in Israel, saying "one horror cannot justify another horror".
"I understand your anger, but I want you not to be consumed by anger. I think that's what Israel's best friends can tell you," he said while visiting Israel and speaking alongside Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, after the two officials visited the Be'eri area, the epicenter of the October 7 attack by Hamas.
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