Israeli tanks on Thursday sealed the main road to Gaza City , barring return for those who fled, as Defence Minister Israel Katz warned it was the final chance for hundreds of thousands still inside to escape.

Israel has told the entire million-strong population of Gaza City to head south as it mounts one of the biggest offensives of the war this month, vowing to root out Hamas fighters in what it says are their last bastions in Gaza’s biggest urban area.

Residents told Reuters that tanks had set up sand barriers on the main road south out of Gaza City. People were being allowed out, but those who had left in search of food or temporary shelter were no longer being permitted to return.

“This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas op

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