Netanyahu to Gaza residents: Get out of there

(Patria) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on civilians last night to leave the city of Gaza before the offensive that the Israeli army will soon begin, TASS reported.

He reminded that the Israeli army had destroyed fifty skyscrapers in the city in recent days, which, according to the Israeli side, radicals used for military purposes.

"All of this is now just an introduction, just a prelude, to the main intensive operation - the ground maneuver of our forces, which are now being organized and gathered in the city of Gaza," he said in a video address.

"And that is why I say to the residents of Gaza, I am taking this opportunity and listen carefully: You have been warned. Get out of there!" he emphasized in a video address released by his office.

Earlier, Israel announced a major operation in the Palestinian enclave to take control of the city of Gaza and defeat Hamas. Netanyahu approved these plans at the end of August.