Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel's plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a "new wave of genocide and displacement" for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.

Israel says it is preparing to move Palestinians from combat zones to southern Gaza as plans move ahead for a military offensive in some of the territory's most populated areas.

Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south "to ensure their safety," the Israeli military said on Saturday.

The State Department did not specify why it has initiated the review of visitor visas from Gaza, nor how long the review could take.

The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it was halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts "a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days.