Israeli army: Operation to evacuate 100,000 people in East Rafah
On Monday, the Israeli army called for the “immediate evacuation” of residents of areas in the Palestinian city of Rafah, stressing that the move involved around 100,000 people, Agence France-Presse reported.
Israeli military spokesman Avichai Atrey said on Monday that the army was calling for the evacuation of people from some Palestinian areas of Rafah to Khan Yunis. He warned against turning north or approaching the eastern and southern security fences, and against turning north from the Gaza Strip, stressing that Gaza City was still a “dangerous fighting” zone. He said: “For your safety, the army calls on you to evacuate immediately to the extended humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi,” the call has been sent to all residents and displaced persons in the al-Shawqa municipal area and territory. Neighborhoods – Al-Salam, Al-Genina, Tabba Zara and Al-Buyuk in the Rafah area.
“As it has done so far, the army will act with extreme force against terrorist organizations in the areas where you live,” he warned. “Anyone who is close to terrorist organizations is putting his life and the life of his family at risk.”
The Israeli military confirmed that the call to evacuate residents of areas east of the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip was a “limited purpose” and temporary measure.
“This morning… we launched a limited-scale operation to temporarily evacuate civilians from the eastern part of Rafah,” a military spokesman told reporters during an online briefing, adding, “This is a limited-scale operation.”
“Violence Reminder”
An Israeli military spokesman, responding to a question about the number of people being evacuated, said “estimates are around 100,000”.
According to the World Health Organization, the city’s population is about 1.2 million people, most of whom have been displaced from other areas in the Gaza Strip as a result of the seven-month-old war between the Israeli government and Israel. and the Hamas movement.
An Israeli military spokesman explained that it was “part of our plans to eliminate Hamas… Yesterday we received a violent reminder of their presence and operational capabilities in Rafah,” adding that the evacuation was “to keep people away from danger.”
Three soldiers were killed and others wounded when rockets landed in the Kerem Shalom area of southern Israel, the military said on Sunday. The army explained that the rockets were fired from the area adjacent to Rafah city.
Soldiers were injured when they were close to heavy military equipment, tanks and bulldozers stationed in the area.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, was responsible for launching these rockets, allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip where Israel had closed the Kerem Shalom crossing.
“Evacuation Begins”
Witnesses told Reuters in the town of Rafah, which borders Egypt’s Gaza Strip, that some Palestinian families were fleeing areas east of the city after receiving orders from the Israeli army.
Witnesses told the Arab World News Agency that there was confusion among the displaced in light of the sudden Israeli call, which came a day after positive news of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and progress in prisoner exchanges.
An eyewitness said: “We were trying to take with us our tents and some luggage that we could take on a new migration journey, and we didn’t know how it would end.” It calls on residents to evacuate immediately to the so-called “Extended Humanitarian Zone” in al-Mawasi.
The leaflets read, “As it has done so far, the army will act with extreme force against terrorist organizations in your areas of residence… Anyone who is close to terrorist organizations is putting his life and the lives of his family at risk. .”
The United Nations and other countries are warning of the consequences of Israel’s large-scale ground operation in Rafah, home to more than a million displaced Palestinians.
Last Friday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said any Israeli military action in Rafah would “lead to a massacre” and cripple humanitarian efforts across the Gaza Strip.
Office spokesman Jens Laerke told a press conference in Geneva that any ground operation would “mean more suffering and death” for the 1.2 million Palestinian civilians and displaced people in and around Rafah.
