The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday ordered Palestinians to evacuate the city of Khan Younis, signaling a likely ground invasion of the war-torn city.

The order applies eastern half of Khan Younis and the southeast portion of the Gaza Strip, according to The Associated Press. Khan Younis is the second largest city in Gaza.

This evacuation comes in the wake after Israel released the director of Gaza's former largest hospital, who has denied Israeli allegations that the facility had been used as a Hamas command center.

The Israel-Hamas war has been ongoing since Oct. 7 of last year, when Hamas staged a raid on Israeli border towns and killed 1,200 civilians.