Amid mounting anxiety among displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, and against the backdrop of international warnings of a potential invasion, the Israeli military has urged Palestinians to evacuate the eastern parts of Rafah. The Israeli forces directed civilians to move to what they call an “expanded humanitarian area” in Mawasi and Khan Yunis.
Furthermore, a spokesman for the military, Avichay Adraee, tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) this Monday, warning Rafah’s displaced residents against heading towards Gaza City, confirming it remains a dangerous combat zone. He also cautioned them from returning north from Wadi Gaza or approaching the eastern and southern security fences.
Additionally, the Israeli military has stated that it will “not set a timeframe for the Rafah evacuation operation and will conduct operational assessments,” as per their statement. The evacuation process from the eastern part of the city involves approximately 100,000 people. A “serious development,” though the Israeli military has not officially announced the beginning of the Rafah invasion operation. However, it appears to have informed both international and Palestinian relief organizations about the evacuation details, as reported by Haaretz.
On the other hand, a senior Hamas leader warned that the Israeli evacuation order is a “serious development” and will have significant repercussions. These developments occurred shortly after the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin affirmed to his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant the necessity that “any potential military operation in Rafah should include a reliable plan for evacuating Palestinian civilians.” This came after many UN organizations and Western countries, especially the United States, Israel’s close ally, expressed their concerns for the safety of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians crammed in Rafah. The United Nations has repeatedly affirmed that there is no safe place in the entire strip to shelter the displaced.
It is noted that more than two million Palestinians have been displaced to Rafah due to the ongoing war for seven months, living under dire humanitarian conditions. Meanwhile, there is still ambiguity surrounding the “safe zones” Israel claimed to be preparing for the evacuation of Rafah’s civilians, including Mawasi
