Israeli forces order evacuation for most of Rafah ahead of attack on the area
The Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Monday for most of Rafah and suggested it may soon launch another ground operation in the city after its ceasefire with Hamas ended.
The evacuation orders appeared to cover almost all the city and nearby areas. The military ordered civilians to head to Mawasi, where tent camps were set up along the coast.
"The IDF is returning to intense operations to dismantle the capabilities of the terrorist organizations in these areas," a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces wrote on X. "For your safety, move immediately to the shelters in Al Mawasi."
Earlier this month, Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas and renewed its air and ground attacks against the terror group. In early March, Israel cut off all supplies and humanitarian aid to Gaza to pressure Hamas to accept changes to the ceasefire agreement.
ISRAEL STRIKES BEIRUT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE A CEASEFIRE ENDED THE LATEST ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR
Israel launched a major operation in Rafah in May, decimating large parts of the area. The military seized a strategic corridor along the border and the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which is Gaza's only path to the outside world that was not controlled by Israel.
Israel was expected to withdraw from the corridor under the ceasefire before later refusing, citing the need to block weapons smuggling.
Israel has said it would intensify its military operations until Hamas releases the remaining 59 hostages in its custody, including 24 who are believed to be alive. Israel has also called on the terror group to disarm and leave the territory, conditions that were not in the ceasefire agreement. Hamas has rejected those demands.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his country would take control of security in Gaza after the war and would impose President Donald Trump's controversial proposal to resettle the territory's civilians in other countries.
The proposal has been universally rejected by Palestinians, who view it as forcible displacement from their homeland. Human rights experts also say the plan would likely violate international law.
Hamas has insisted on moving forward with the signed ceasefire deal, which called for the remainder of the hostages to be released in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and Israel pulling its troops out of Gaza. Negotiations over those parts of the agreement were supposed to have begun in February after some hostages were freed in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.
The war began when Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and kidnapping another 251, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military's retaliation, according to the Hamas-run government's Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
At the height of the war, roughly 90% of Gaza's population had been displaced, and many had fled.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.