Hamas chief defiant in face of imminent Israel attack on Gaza

Gaza: Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has just begun a televised address, accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip, media reported.

"Our enemy is doing this with the US administration and some European countries," he said, Al Jazeera reported.

"The people of Gaza are staying in their land. They will never leave Gaza or flee (to Egypt)," he added.

"I salute the people of Gaza who are facing the barbaric machine of the Zionist machine. They are committed to their lands."

"Hamas has always been keen not to target civilians despite everything done by the Zionist regime."

"Hamas is a freedom movement that adhere to these ethics."

A six-hour window issued by the Israeli military warning Palestinian civilians to finish evacuating from Gaza City to the southern part of the strip has ended, CNN reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told residents to move toward the Gaza Valley, in a message posted on 'X', formerly known as Twitter.

It is unclear how widely the messaging has been received on the ground given the current electricity and internet blackout, CNN reported.

The advisory from the Israeli military came a day after it told 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes.

The IDF has saturated the border with troops and military equipment amid a relentless onslaught on the territory, in retaliation to a large-scale incursion by the militant group Hamas on October 7.

Earlier on Saturday, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said Israel's air, land and sea blockade on Gaza will continue into a seventh day, CNN reported.