Israel tells Palestinians to leave parts of Rafah
THE Israeli army has told Palestinians to begin evacuating eastern Rafah, according to an Israeli Defence Force statement on Monday, signalling that a ground invasion is imminent.
People were told to move to Muwasi, an Israeli-declared humanitarian area near the coast. The army said it had expanded assistance into the area, including field hospitals, tents, food and water.
The announcement comes amid fragile ceasefire talks and ahead of a highly anticipated ground offensive that Israel has been vowing to undertake for months to weed out the remaining Hamas militants. On Sunday, defence minister Yoav Gallant claimed Hamas was not serious about a deal and warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah”. His comments came after Hamas attacked Israel’s main crossing point for delivering assistance on Sunday, killing four soldiers. Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat the Islamic militant group. Lt Col Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said some 100,000 people were being ordered to move to Muwasi. He said Israel is preparing a “limited-scope operation” and would not say whether this was the beginning of a broader invasion of the city.
But last October, Israel did not formally announce the launch of a ground invasion that continues to this day.
The move comes a day after Hamas militants carried out a deadly rocket attack from the area that killed four Israeli soldiers.
Lt Col Shoshani said Israel published a map of the evacuation area, and that orders were being issued through leaflets dropped from the sky, text messages and radio broadcasts.
He said Israel has expanded humanitarian aid into Muwasi, including field hospitals, tents, food and water.
Israel’s army said that it would act with “extreme force” against militants, and urged the population to evacuate immediately for their safety.
Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, condemned the “forced, unlawful” evacuation order and the idea that people should go to Muwasi, adding: “The area is already overstretched and devoid of vital services.”
Israel’s plan to invade Rafah has raised global alarm because of the potential for harm to more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.
About 1.4 million Palestinians – more than half of Gaza’s population – are jammed into the town and its surroundings. Most of them fled their homes elsewhere in the territory to escape Israel’s onslaught and now face another wrenching move, or the danger of facing the brunt of a new assault.