Israel is preparing to launch what is expected to be a massive ground operation inside Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where around 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge. The Israeli military has begun ordering the evacuation of tens of thousands of Palestinians living in the city.
On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces ordered an evacuation of Rafah, indicating that a long-promised ground operation could be imminent. The Israeli military has described Rafah as the last major Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said that clearing Rafah is necessary to defeat the Islamic militant group.
Overnight, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Israel was left with no choice but to act in Rafah after Hamas terrorists carried out a deadly rocket attack from Rafah that same day that left four Israeli soldiers dead.
A possible ground operation comes as desperate efforts by international mediators, including the CIA, to negotiate a ceasefire have failed to produce an agreement.
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Israeli soldiers drive a tank into a concentration camp near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to carry out a military operation in Rafah. According to the Israeli military, forces are beginning a “limited scope operation.”
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said about 100,000 people were being ordered to move to a nearby Israeli-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi. He said Israel published a map of the evacuation area.
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These orders have been issued through airdropped leaflets, text messages and radio broadcasts so that Palestinians could obtain the information.
“Anyone found near (militant) organizations puts themselves and their families in danger. For your safety, the (army) urges you to immediately evacuate to the expanded humanitarian zone,” one leaflet said.
Israeli soldiers drive a tank into a concentration camp near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
He said Israel has expanded humanitarian aid to Muwasi, including field hospitals, tents, food and water.
Israel's military said on social media platform X that it would act with “extreme force” against Hamas terrorists and urged the population to evacuate immediately for their safety.
Netanyahu has vowed to carry out a military operation in Rafah as he claims Hamas holds the last remaining stronghold there. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo)
The move also comes as the Biden administration reportedly suspended a shipment of American-made munitions to Israel for the first time since the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
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Two Israeli officials told Axios that the weapons shipment stopped last week, leaving Israeli government officials struggling to understand why.
An Israeli soldier walks past a line of tanks at a concentration camp near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Around 1.5 million Palestinians – more than half of Gaza's population – are taking refuge in Rafah, as they have been forced to evacuate other areas of the Gaza Strip, amid Israel's ongoing war. against Hamas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
