Harvard threatened all students inside the university's pro-Palestinian encampment with "involuntary leave," two weeks after students first pitched tents on the campus' iconic Harvard Yard.

"I write today with this simple message: The continuation of the encampment presents a significant risk to the educational environment of the University," the university's interim president Alan Garber wrote in an email sent to students, faculty and staff. "Those who participate in or perpetuate its continuation will be referred for involuntary leave from their schools.

Students put on leave will be unable to sit their final exams or continue residing in university housing and will be barred from campus until they're reinstated as students. Garber's email also alleged that the student protestors had "intimidated and harassed other members of our community" by yelling or encircling staff members asking to see their identification.

In contrast to other elite universities, however, there was no reference to authorizing police presence on the private Cambridge campus. Fellow Ivy League school, Columbia University twice authorized the New York Police Department to enter its campus and arrest students.

Harvard's threats come as Israel's war in Gaza seems to be reaching an inflection point. The Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, crafted by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel declined - characterizing the offer as a "trick."

Meanwhile, Israel ordered hundreds of thousands of civilians to evacuate from Rafah, where more than 1 million people have sought shelter as Israeli airstrikes decimated much of the besieged enclave.

The United States has repeatedly cautioned Israel against a ground invasion in Rafah - describing the proposed action as a "mistake" with civilian consequences greater than any potential military gain.

The university coalition, 'Harvard out of Occupied Palestine', criticized the university for engaging in "one of the largest mass disciplinary actions in Harvard's history," in the midst of concerns about a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"As Rafah is under attack, Harvard President Alan Garber sends a community-wide email notifying the threat of suspension for students protesting the genocide," the group wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.